On many occasions both employers and job seekers display a breathtaking lack of courtesy. From the point of view of the employer, this causes disruption, frustration, bewilderment and anger. It can also cost money. From the perspective of the job seeker, discourteous employers cause a feeling of rejection, hurt, and in the worst cases, despair. Equally, it costs the job seeker money also.

Recruitment is a critical point in the business cycle. There is no doubt that discourtesy does a lot of damage, and in extreme cases results in the loss of perfectly good people from our industry at a time when we can ill-afford it. It also does a lot of damage to the reputations of employer organisations whose cavalier behaviour does them harm.

As a result of discussions between the Caterer & Hotelkeeper, the British Hospitality Association, Springboard and Hospitality and Leisure Manpower, Courtesy in Recruitment has been developed as part of "Excellence Through People".

It includes a recruitment charter, believed to be unique to the hospitality industry, and is launched by the British Hospitality Association, in conjunction with the Recruitment and Employment Confederation. The charter - Courtesy in Recruitment - aims to improve standards of recruitment practices in the hospitality and tourism industry.

Introduced as an integral part of the BHA's Excellence Through People programme, which is designed to encourage best employment practice in the industry, the charter is in three parts with commitments by employers, recruitment companies and job seekers. It has been created in conjunction with ten of the industry's principal recruitment agencies.

The Employer's Charter sets down the key elements in an employer's relationship with job applicants, including such commitments as the promise to respond to everyone seeking employment, and the provision of a full job description at the time of the interview. There is also a charter for recruitment agencies seeking staff and a job seeker's courtesy charter.

Employers and recruiters who sign up to the 10-point code of Good Recruitment Practice will receive an ETP kite mark to use with their recruitment advertising. Job seekers, through any of the accredited recruitment companies, Job Centres and colleges, will be given a copy of the code with guidance about how to construct a CV. They will also be given an appropriate logo, which they can attach to their CV to give public recognition to potential employers of their commitment.

The code will send a signal to every job seeker - and to the world in general - that hospitality is at the cutting edge in terms of employment practice.