Removing bias from our recruitment process

We find ourselves in a bit of a catch 22 when looking to employ a diverse workforce. On one hand we want to ensure a broad representation of people from all ages, races, cultures and creeds. And on the other hand we don’t want to make decisions based on any of these demographics. We need to be able to make considered judgements free of bias.

Our first step to removing bias is being aware that it exists. Did you know that upon meeting someone you will have formed an impression of who they are after only seven seconds? We all know that first impressions are utterly important, but when recruiting we need to be aware of our own fallibility.

The NFL adopted a great policy that requires teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching positions, giving them a foot in the door. Which brings us to our second point – once we are aware of our biases we need to have them challenged. How do we do this? We hire for strengths, not for a lack of weaknesses.

The beauty of diversity in practice is that it automatically challenges our biases and further promotes diversity. However, in order to have a truly diverse team we need to look deeper than what is visible on the surface. We should be considering candidates from various levels of education and socioeconomic standings.

A candidate who checks all of the boxes in terms of qualifications and experience doesn’t have as much to prove as the young, enthusiastic go-getter who was born with the ability to sell ice to eskimos. You could consider removing years of experience and education requirements from job descriptions. That isn’t to say that these qualifications aren’t considered, but it opens the door to more potential candidates.

Psychologists claim that the three key judgements we make of people are based on their morality, sociability and competence. So, while providing an equal footing for all candidates to prove their competence is important; we do still need to gauge whether they will be a good fit in terms of sociability and morality (i.e. company culture).

Competency can be tested analytically, but sociability and morality are emotionally driven and can be influenced by any number of factors. You need to take a look at your current interview process and test to see how fair and welcoming it is. How do you measure a good company culture match? How diverse are your interview panels? How does the process make the candidate feel?

Everyone, regardless of background, has the right to be fairly assessed for a role for which they are qualified. And it is up to us to provide a recruitment process that is free of bias and fair for people from all walks of life.