Dec 2023 - Hiring Trends

A new trend has emerged in how companies are recruiting and selecting Business Development professionals. In an effort to be more selective, companies are requiring applicants to provide more and more detailed histories on bid and proposal activities. In some cases, applicants are being asked for the name and contract number for specific opportunities they’ve bid on, win and loss data, dollar values for all opportunities, bid history with specific customers, and so forth.

While the intent is to be selective and position the company for choosing the “very best” applicants, the volume of information and level of detail being asked for raises serious concerns.

Firstly, from an individual level (the applicant), it could cause a breach of the applicant’s Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) with their current employer or past employers. The language of most employment NDAs is fairly broad, meaning that providing even a portion of what’s being asked for could be a challenge.

Secondly, from a company level (current or previous employer), it potentially compromises market position. Although we hope all companies act ethically, we have to view this from a risk analysis “worst case” perspective. In this regard, it’s obvious that any company could aggregate the data from all applicants into a single table, stratify it by company and then reconcile it with commercial subscription data and additional information collected during the interview process. The end result is a highly accurate and current snapshot of competitors with almost no cost to produce.

If you are applying for a position and are faced with a situation like this, it’s recommended you re-familiarize yourself with all your active NDAs. If you feel there is an issue with providing any information, address it with the potential employer.