Dive Brief:

• Companies are warned that it's always better to be transparent about the company culture, financial status, and perks from the start, instead of trying to bury this information for recruitment purposes. Job seekers will almost always find out the truth through their own research. 
• According to the 2016 CareerBuilder Candidate Behavior study, 36% of job seekers apply for a job without checking into the company first, so that means nearly two-thirds of candidates are doing their homework before they take the time to apply for a position. The 2015 CareerArc survey advised that 62% of job seekers are looking through social media sites to learn more about companies, including the accuracy of the culture, salaries, benefits, and even how well management treats employees. 
• What are candidates looking for when researching companies? They want to see that the company is being honest about its culture, salary offerings, and management team. if there is a problem, they want to know about it.  

Dive Insight:

Recruiters must tread carefully when talking with candidates about their company. Today's savvy job seeker has a multitude of resources for learning about companies before taking the time to apply. Even if they don't do their research first, as evidenced by the Careerbuilder data, they will eventually find something negative about the company and start poking around to learn more.

It's always better to avoid telling fibs and focus on the positives of the company, but build trust with each candidate by also being transparent. If the company is struggling in a particular area, a candidate expects an honest yet brief answer. With more recruiters turning to candidate referrals, these are candidates who already have the inside information from their peers, so there's no fooling them.