The Transparent Hiring Pledge
A public commitment to human-centered, honest, and accountable hiring practices.
Because job seekers deserve better than how they've been treated.
Why this matters
Job hunting is hard enough without being misled and mistreated.
Too many people spend hours tailoring resumes, filling out forms, and writing thoughtful cover letters… only to be met with silence. Or worse, they discover the job never really existed, was quietly paused, or was already filled before they even applied.Even when roles are active, job seekers face:📭 No acknowledgment or response after applying
🤷 Unclear timelines and no updates on the process
🥸 Missing or misleading information about pay, expectations, or remote statusIt's a waste of everyone's time. It's bad for the economy. It kills motivation and contributes to burnout, anxiety, depression, and financial stress—especially for those living on unemployment benefits, paycheck-to-paycheck. And it's a terrible way to build trust with new hires.
The Pledge
Companies that sign this pledge commit:
👻 No Ghost Jobs: We only post roles we are actively hiring for.
📅 Clear Timelines: We communicate estimated timelines for reviewing applications.
📬 Close the Loop: We notify all interviewees in a timely fashion when a position has been filled.
✍️ Job Details Matter: We provide accurate information about job responsibilities, pay range, and remote work options.
🧍 Human Review: At least one real person looks at every application.
🏢 For employers
Show that you value job seekers’ time and trust.
By signing the pledge:• You’ll be listed in our directory of transparent employers
• You’ll receive a “Transparent Hiring” badge to display on your website
• You’ll gain visibility among values-driven candidates who prioritize respectful workplaces
💼 For Job Seekers
You deserve to know which companies are taking hiring seriously.
By supporting the pledge:• You’ll get access to a curated list of companies that commit to fair hiring
• You can filter your job search by companies with real accountability
• You’ll be part of a movement to make hiring better for everyone
Spread the word
Here's how you can help grow the movement
We're going to need your help in finding more employers—and job seekers supporting the pledge—and these actions below are great places to start.
Especially if you have a big following, this can be an incredible tool to reach employers.
Faster than a letter, but not as effective. Still worth it, though!
[COMING SOON] Send a letter to an employer
We make it super simple to send a letter to an employer that should sign the pledge.
Join in support & stay updated
Our newsletter is a pledge to you, as well
You'll not only get access to our entire list of employers who have taken the pledge, but you'll get weekly updates on new pledging employers, and great resources for job hunting from our parent org: Job Seekers Union. We'll never spam you with tons of useless emails, and you can unsubscribe easily.Your name will never be shared with any employers unless we have your expressed permission formally documented, and you have no obligation to let employers know that you’re supporting the pledge.
Thank you
Can you take a couple actions, now, to help us spread the word?
The pledge in more detail
The link to sign the pledge can be found at the bottom of this page.We want to make hiring better for everyone—more respectful for job seekers, and easier for organizations to build trust and communicate clearly. Below, we walk through the full meaning and intent of each pledge commitment, along with realistic expectations for how to meet them.The version of the pledge found on our main page is abbreviated for ease of presentation and understanding. But we don't expect companies to be able to manage these pledge elements perfectly in every case, so let's go through the pledge elements separately.
👻 No Ghost Jobs: We only post roles we are actively hiring for.
What is a Ghost Job?
“A fake job, ghost job, or phantom job is a job posting for a non-existent or already filled position. The employer may post fake job opening listings for many reasons, such as inflating statistics about their industries, protecting the company from discrimination lawsuits, fulfilling requirements by human-resources departments, identifying potentially promising recruits for future hiring, pacifying existing employees that the company is looking for extra help, or retaining desirable employees. They may also use this strategy to gather information regarding their competitors' wages.” –Wikipedia
This pledge is relatively straightforward: You won’t post jobs on your site—or elsewhere on the web—that are not in active hiring. If you complete a hiring process, you’ll make that clear to people who apply by removing the job posting from your own website.If you keep a generic “join our team” or “future opportunities” listing open, make sure it’s labeled as such—transparency here is key.
📅 Clear Timelines: We communicate estimated timelines for reviewing applications.
Applicants should be fully aware of how long it will take to review applications and receive an initial response. This information can be included directly in the job posting or in an automatic confirmation email sent immediately after an application is submitted. For example: “Applications will be reviewed starting May 1. Expect to hear back from us by May 15 at the latest.” Providing this upfront helps set expectations and reduces uncertainty for applicants.If your team receives an unexpectedly large number of applications, it’s fine to adjust the timeline—just send a brief update to all applicants letting them know it may take longer than expected. This doesn’t need to come from an individual and can be sent from a “do not reply” address or a mail merge system.We do not expect that applicants will have access to anyone at the company until they have been contacted to begin the interview process.
✍️ Job Details Matter: We provide accurate information about job responsibilities, pay range, and remote work options.
Note that this pledge says interviewees and not applicants. Any applicant who has not been contacted to begin the interview process should not expect to receive word back from the company if the previous pledges were being upheld—after the deadline of when they expect to hear back, they can simply assume they were not chosen to move forward.Interviewees, on the other hand, should always be contacted to let them know if the job was filled and that they can no longer expect to receive any contact from the company. This is not a difficult task, and as with the previous pledge, does not necessarily require that notification comes from a specific person, as opposed to a “do not reply” address.The bottom line is that interviewees should know they are no longer in the running, while anything beyond that is unnecessary. Templates or mail merge tools can make this painless—it doesn’t need to be personal, just clear and respectful.
✍️ Job Details Matter: We provide accurate information about job responsibilities, pay range, and remote work options.
Job applicants should never be surprised by what they hear during the interview process—or even after accepting an offer. Many people have come to expect that what’s written on the job description is “too good to be true,” and that’s ridiculous. Companies and organizations should be taking great care to be clear, direct, and accurate about what they actually post on a job description and ensuring that it reflects what they intend to be an employee’s experience.If things change during the interview process—perhaps the process itself clarifying things that were not clear beforehand—interviewees should be made aware of the changes immediately in a discussion that asks if they accept the new provisions and considers carefully whether they might still be a good candidate.
🧍 Human Review: At least one real person looks at every application.
Perhaps the most challenging pledge for companies and organizations that get a lot of applicants for their roles, we want to be clear that this only applies for applicants that have followed the directions on the job posting. For example, if a job required a cover letter but none was provided, then it makes sense that no one would need to review that application. Or, if the application required that questions be answered with the resume, if those questions are not provided then human review would not be required.It’s easy enough to provide “self screening” tactics which ensure that the applicant pool is curtailed to only the people actually motivated to get an interview, that there shouldn’t be any reason for applicants to be screened entirely by automated processes. Use simple prompts like “Tell us why you want this role” or “Share one idea you’d bring to the team”—these help you filter for thoughtful applicants while still giving everyone a chance to be seen by a real person.
🙏 In closing
These practices don’t just support job seekers—they reflect the kind of thoughtful, transparent, and respectful culture great candidates want to work for. We don’t expect perfection. We do hope you’ll try your best, stay communicative, and help build a better hiring culture.
Email an employer
You can use the button below to open your email inbox with a template message to any employer you want.Simply find the employer on Google or Yelp and look for an email address on their website that you can send the message to. Even better if you can find an address directly to HR!
If the button doesn't work, you can copy the following text:SUBJECT: HR: Please join the Transparent Hiring PledgeBODY:
Hello,I wanted to share something I think aligns with your values as an employer committed to fairness and transparency.The Transparent Hiring Pledge is a public commitment to clear, respectful, and honest hiring practices. It asks employers to avoid ghost jobs, communicate timelines with applicants, and share key details like salary and remote status up front.As someone who admires your work, I’d love to see your company join this growing group of organizations leading by example. You can learn more and sign on here: https://hiringpledge.comThanks for considering it—and for everything you do to support job seekers.
Sample press release for announcing you've signed the pledge
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE[Company Name] Joins Movement for Fairer Hiring by Signing the Transparent Hiring Pledge[City, State] — [Date] — [Company Name], a [brief company descriptor — e.g., “leading nonprofit in the education space” or “mission-driven software firm”], is proud to announce it has signed the Transparent Hiring Pledge, joining a growing number of organizations committed to clear, fair, and respectful hiring practices.The Transparent Hiring Pledge is a public commitment to improving the job seeker experience by upholding standards that include:
• Posting salary ranges in job listings
• Responding to all qualified applicants
• Avoiding “ghost jobs” and outdated postings
• Reducing unnecessary rounds and delays in hiring processes“At [Company Name], we believe transparency is a sign of respect,” said [Spokesperson Name], [Title]. “Job seekers deserve honesty, clarity, and timely communication. Signing this pledge reflects our values and the hiring culture we strive to uphold.”The Transparent Hiring Pledge is part of a larger movement to bring more equity, dignity, and accountability to the job search process — and to encourage organizations to model what ethical hiring can look like.To learn more about the pledge or to see the full list of participating organizations, visit: https://hiringpledge.comMedia Contact:
[Your Name]
[Title]
[Email Address]
[Phone Number]
[Company Website]
Post on social media
The links below are pre-filled with a brief summary of the Transparent Hiring Pledge, and/or our link, so you can post directly on your platform of choice. Please help get the word out!