5 Ways To Remove Bias From The Hiring Process
Unconscious Bias can come into so many aspects of the hiring process and influences far more than we like to think. Current research shows that removing bias from the process would increase number of women hired into male dominated industries by 50% and the percentage is even higher for Black and Latino people.
So how can we do that? Here are 5 ideas to explore:
Review your sourcing methods. Most companies lean on the same places to source their talent. Referral schemes are particularly problematic if you do not have a diverse office because they tend to perpetuate the problem by sourcing from a mostly homogenous network. It can take more time, but if you really want to increase the number of diverse candidates you see for a job you need to be out networking in different circles. Here are some conferences and events you can check out and get involved with, recommended by Emily Race of Say Space
Adcan awards is a growing international movement of filmmakers, animators, creatives and industry leaders all working together to make both the industry and world a better place. Started by our friends from Media Arts Lab they do a great job of bringing diverse community together.
Review your selection criteria. We often have assumptions about the type of experience needed for a role that can do with some scrutiny, i.e. can you really only consider people who have worked for those types of companies or brands before? How else could we test their talents? Are you only considering people from a certain type of background? How is that limiting your ability to consider new perspectives and thinking on the team?
Remove names from resumes. It might sound odd but many studies have shown that without us realizing our bias is impacted differently by names that sound ‘white’ or names that sound ‘male’. There are pliantly of companies now investing in blind hiring tools like Deloitte, HSBC and BBC. You can read more about it in this Fast Company Article- How blind recruitment works and what you should consider it
Use an objective hiring tool like Predictive Index (PI) . It more accurately assesses peoples strengths, motivational needs and communication styles without the influence of human bias. People can present however they want in an interview and the opportunity for uncocnisous bias to show up in what we ask, how we hear the answers, body language and tone is huge! It’s really hard to know a candidates true motivations and style through only spending 30mins to 1 hour with someone. PI gives you a far more accurate picture of each candidates potential and gaps so you can make an informed decision.
Look for culture add. When we look for ‘culture fit’ we are directly accessing a bias called ‘familiarity bias’. Does this person make me feel comfortable, would I enjoy going for a beer with this person? These types of questions tend to be the ones we ask ourselves when testing ‘culture fit’. Instead ask your hiring managers and recruiters to look for what this person can add, what new perspectives can they bring. This way we are now valuing the diversity they have. Developing a structured interview framework, having a consistent values based approach to interviews with a rigorous feedback process can also help to mitigate some of the potential ways bias will impact the questions we ask and the time we give to a candidate.
If you’d be interested in more we’d be happy to link your up with our in house Diversity and Inclusion Experts drop me a note at jasmine@toshacc.com