In the business world, it’s important for hiring without bias to be able to exist. It’s more than having a diverse and inclusive workforce. But it also will ensure that the company will survive and only have the best talents. The recruiter’s job is to hire the best person for the position. As it will affect almost every part of the company, they can’t let their unconscious bias leak and show through the recruitment process. It’s even more important since a biased recruiter may give the applicant a negative experience.
What is hiring without bias?
In short, this concept highlights the applicant’s skills and how they will fit in the work environment. It surpasses the skin color, religion, sex, and racial background of the person. The applicants need to exhibit their skills and ensure the company that they are the right person for the job.
Having an unconscious bias can be difficult to notice. Even more so when the recruiter or the company has a strong alliance with specific segments. For example, a company may only take applicants who graduate from university A disregarding their GPA. Sometimes, these biases can be conscious as the recruiters explicitly mention the restrictions.
There is a vast difference between requirements and restrictions. Opening a job vacancy for someone with specific certifications count as a requirement. Insisting that only applicants from specific schools can apply is a restriction.
Benefits of All-Inclusive Hiring
Unfortunately, most companies think that all-inclusive means hiring token employees. They will only take the applicants that fit their gender or racial quota. Rather than seeing it as a trend, the company needs to see how much it can benefit from being all-inclusive.
1. Increased Productivity and Performance
The primary benefit is having an improved performance. It’s one thing that the company can’t deny as they have the best person on the job. In addition to improving general performance, it also leads to a new dynamic in the work environment. Eventually, it will lead to new ideas and collaborations. It’s a win-win solution that will benefit the employees and the company at once.
2. Enhanced Reputation
People’s perception is one thing that nobody can control. While some will see the company with inclusive hiring as responding to trends. Some others will take on a more positive light. It also will increase the number of applicants who want to work in the company.
Strategies for Hiring without Bias
Hiring the right employees can be similar to finding that missing puzzle piece. The company needs to have the right person responsible for the recruitment process to ensure they will hire the right person. But the recruiter is not the only person responsible. Everyone in the company needs to work together to create an inclusive work environment.
1. Unconscious Bias Training
It’s crucial to have these trainings regularly for all employees. It will help them to be aware and sensitive to the situation. This training also can mitigate several issues that may happen in the future.
Human resources can have multiple people in the recruiting team to have diverse opinions on the applicants. At any rate, the training will have a direct and impactful result when they interact with the candidates.
2. Blind Resume Reviews
Many recruiters choose this method as the most effective way to reduce their bias. They will remove all basic information such as name, age, and sex in the curriculum vitae. And see the applicants based on their work portfolios and other information. However, it has crucial flaws since it may favor specific schools.
Some recruiters may take it further and only focus on the applicant’s skills and test results. Researchers believe this is the most viable method to reduce unconscious bias.
By focusing on the skill, recruiters can be confident that the applicant will fit right into the job. They will have less time to adjust to the environment. And because they already have the skill, the company can focus on employee retention. They can sign the employee up for classes and renew their certifications.
3. Structured and standardized Interviews
Having a structured interview means the recruiter is ready with a bias-free set of questions. They can mix the questions between understanding the applicant better and how adept they are with their skills. This is even more important if there are too many applicants and the recruiter has to do a group interview. The applicant who stands out is the one with the best personality and competence.
It’s important to note that the interview must follow the correct standard. The recruiter can set up these values with their team before they start the recruitment process. Having a standardized interview as part of a streamlined recruitment process will boost the company’s efficiency. Another plus side is it will leave a positive impact on the applicants. They may better themselves and re-apply again at a later date.
When the recruiters are a group of people from multiple disciplines, these standardized points can help them. It will ensure the recruitment process goes smoothly and keep the focus on the applicants.
Consider hiring from underrepresented communities
It can be very challenging. These communities often have their reasons to exclude themselves from the public. As they also have fewer chances to pursue the necessary education.
Therefore, the company can work with local groups to improve their skills. They can hold training or the much-needed internship for the community members. Even when they are not part of the company, they will take the skills with them and be able to improve their well-being.
Harvard Business Review highlighted that recruiters have inherent biases that reflect on the candidates they hire. However, it doesn’t mean that hiring without bias is impossible to do. Using multiple methods such as blind review and multi-person interviews will ensure they have less bias against the candidates. After all, the best person with the right skills and certifications is the best candidate to hire.
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