HR professionals have been warned over the pitfalls and effectiveness of employee testimonials by Judith van Roy,  HR manager - Europe for outcomes research company, Mapi Values.

Van Roy analysed a number of employee video testimonials from six organisations listed in the top 10 of the 2008 Great Place to Work list and other best employer lists from the International Centre for Talent Management and Development at Nottingham Business School, Nottingham Trent University.

Van Roy says: “Employee video testimonials on the corporate career website are a new and  innovative way of providing jobseekers with a preview of the organisation but are these testimonials really that realistic and trustworthy?  

“The use of real employees  demands considerations such as: are the employees actually aware that  their personal and private information is displayed online? What happens when the employee leaves the organisation? In one of the testimonials, an employee left the organisation a couple of years earlier but was still featured in the testimonial.   

“All testimonials featured a number of employees of a different ethnic origin  but the question here is whether this is a representative sample of the workforce or whether they were chosen to portray the diversity of the  organisation.    

“The testimonial is used to increase the level of trust at the start of the  recruitment process because it is easier to identify with an employee than with the organisation. Applicants who are able to identify with the employees featured in the testimonial are encouraged to  apply.   

“Employee testimonials can be a powerful tool for human resources professionals but they need to be aware of the ethical implications with regard to the employees featured in the testimonial.

“They should also realise that a dishonest and unrealistic representation of the organisation will surface either during the recruitment process or when the applicant has been employed and this will shatter the trust relation between the organisation and the applicant or even worse, it might destroy the carefully built employer brand.”