Do consumers need help sifting through job boards to determine which are committed to high standards of business and those that, well, are not as committed?

According to Peter Weddle, industry consultant and executive director of The International Association of Employment Web Sites, the answer is a resounding yes.

To fix this, the IAWES, the trade organization for the global online employment services industry, has introduced a code of ethics for job boards and career portals.

Weddle explains that the code of ethics was developed, ironically, as a result of the success of the job-board industry.

“This code of ethics reassures both job seekers and employers that a job board displaying the IAEWS Member icon is one they can trust,” says Weddle.

And Dan Honig, COO of WorkplaceDiversity.com and the chair of the IAEWS Working Group on the Code of Ethics, likens the Internet to the “wild west” because “you never know what’s going to happen to you. Well, now you do, at least when it comes to employment. This code sets the bar for what people should expect from job boards,” says Honig.

The organization, which currently counts over 1,000 employment sites around the world, says its code of ethics includes confidentiality, fairness, honesty, responsibility, and self-regulation.

On that last point, it essentially means compliance with all the laws, and more important, acting quickly to fix any areas of noncompliance.

Another interesting point is the “fairness” category, acknowledging that members will “provide easy-to-find and up-to-date contact information on their sites for both employers and job seekers.”

The trade organization is open to any organization that owns or operates a job board or that provides products and services to those sites.