In recent months, more than one Soapbox contributor has bemoaned the rise of ‘cowboy’ recruiters and called for standards to be raised across the board. Well, painful as a recession will be, it also represents an opportunity to reinvigorate the industry.

It’s true that the sharp practices of low quality recruiters threaten to tarnish us all. It’s also true that those delivering poor service will struggle the most during tough economic times. But it is not enough for those of us committed to delivering innovative, high-quality services to sit back and wait for conditions to take their toll. We must stick to our guns and stick together.

The temptation to lower standards to cut costs must be resisted. Of course, managing costs will be important for everyone. But innovation and flexibility, allied to an unswerving commitment to best practice, offer more sustainable solutions — and those solutions will be good for the industry in the long term. Yes, clients will put pressure on fees, but our response must be to remind them that, as in every industry, you get what you pay for. The fees levied by quality agencies reflect the intrinsic value of the consultancy we deliver. Working with poor recruiters simply because their fees are lower is a false economy — the annual cost of ‘bad hires’ is £12bn, according to some estimates.

This is why sticking together is so important. Only then can we ensure that delivering quality recruitment remains viable through the tough times to come, and emerge from recession stronger and leaner than before.

Personally, I would like to see those of us committed to good practice go further than simply defending our fees. I believe that the time is right to establish a new, robust code of ethics for recruitment — raising the bar in terms of acceptable standards of client and candidate care.

Setting up a quality mark is vital, offering a commitment to clients and candidates at a time when recruitment decisions are delicately poised. It would also send out a clear message that the industry is ready to run the cowboys out of town.