Smashing Unconscious Bias in Recruitment: Techniques For Fair Hiring

Unconscious bias refers to the unconscious beliefs, attitudes, and stereotypes that we all hold and that can influence our decision-making without our awareness. In the context of hiring, these biases can lead to unfair and problematic outcomes by influencing which candidates we consider for a role and how we evaluate their qualifications.

This can lead to a lack of diversity in the workplace and perpetuate systemic inequalities. It is important to recognize and address unconscious biases in order to create a more fair and inclusive hiring process.

In this blog, we will explore strategies and techniques for recognizing and addressing unconscious bias in the recruitment process in order to create a more fair and inclusive hiring process. By implementing these strategies, you can help to create a more diverse and equitable workforce.

Before we do that, understand that you have to first recognise that there is a bias in hiring & eliminating it will be of immense benefit.

I believe that the first step to handle ‘bias blind spot’ is for the hiring team to be aware and accept that each one of us has it. This awareness and acceptance can be brought in from interventions like training and workshops.

The second important aspect is for the hiring team to understand and buy-in the benefits of diverse hiring. Only then would we see individuals taking effort to unlearn the biases, which is the most difficult aspect. Despite these steps, biases exist and are deep wired. It is imperative for talent acquisition teams to put in place certain steps to minimize these biases. For example, having a diverse hiring panel and blind recruitment.

~ Neha Agrawal, Diversity & Inclusion Leader, Organization Culture Expert,
CSR Leader, Motivational Speaker, Coach, Mentor

1. Go blind for the résumé review

There are several types of unconscious bias that can impact the resume review process. For example, confirmation bias is the tendency to look for and favour information that confirms our preexisting beliefs or expectations. This can lead reviewers to overlook or downplay information on a resume that does not align with their expectations or assumptions about a particular role or industry.

Similarly, affinity bias is the tendency to favor candidates who are similar to us or who we feel a connection with. This can lead to a lack of diversity in the candidate pool and perpetuate systemic inequalities.

One strategy for reducing unconscious bias in the recruitment process is to go "blind" for the resume review. This means that personal information, such as names and addresses, is removed from the resumes before they are reviewed. The goal of this approach is to reduce the influence of unconscious bias by removing any clues about a candidate's identity, such as their gender, race, or age, that could potentially affect the reviewer's perception of the candidate.

2. Have an interview panel

Another strategy for reducing unconscious bias in the recruitment process is to have an interview panel. An interview panel is a group of people who are responsible for evaluating and selecting candidates for a particular role. This can include HR professionals, hiring managers, and subject matter experts.

Having an interview panel is useful for reducing unconscious bias because it allows for multiple perspectives and voices to be heard during the evaluation process. This can help to mitigate the influence of any one individual's biases and ensure that candidates are evaluated objectively and based on their qualifications.

Having a diverse interview panel can help to reduce the impact of affinity bias, as reviewers are more likely to relate to and feel a connection with candidates who come from similar backgrounds or have similar experiences.

In the panel, consider including people from different backgrounds, experiences, and levels of seniority on the panel. The panel members should be trained on unconscious bias and how to recognize and address it during the interview process.

3. Standardise interviews (questions and processes)

A standardised interview process involves using a consistent set of questions and evaluation criteria for all candidates, regardless of their identity or background. This helps to create a more objective and fair evaluation of candidates and reduces the influence of unconscious bias.

Without a standardised interview process, there is a risk of bias creeping in through the use of subjective or arbitrary evaluation criteria, or through the use of different questions or approaches for different candidates. This can lead to unfair or biassed outcomes and perpetuate systemic inequalities.

To implement a standardised interview process, organisations can develop a set of core competencies or skills that are relevant to the role and use these as the basis for their evaluation criteria. They can then create a set of standardised questions that are designed to assess these competencies and use them consistently for all candidates. It's also suggested to consider using a scoring or rating system to help ensure that candidates are evaluated objectively and consistently.

4. Re-evaluate your job descriptions

Job descriptions can contain language or requirements that are biassed towards certain groups of people, such as men, white people, or those who are able-bodied. This bias is often "unconscious bias," as it is not intentional but rather a result of societal norms and expectations.

Some examples of biased language in job descriptions include:

1) Using gendered language, such as "he" or "she," or using gender-specific titles, such as "salesman" or "waitress."

2) Using jargon or technical language that is not widely understood or may be more familiar to certain groups of people.

3) Requiring a certain level of education or experience that may disproportionately favor certain groups of people.

4) Using words or phrases that are associated with a particular demographic or stereotype, such as "go-getter" or "team player."

To avoid biased language in job descriptions, it is important to use gender-neutral language and titles. Instead of using gendered language or titles, such as "he" or "she," or "salesman" or "waitress," use neutral language, such as "they" or "sales representative." Avoid jargon and technical language, and be mindful of any requirements that may disproportionately favor certain groups of people. Organisations can consider using software or tools that can help identify biased language in job descriptions and suggest alternative language.

5. Monitor data, find root cause

To really get a handle on where our biases might be sneaking in your recruitment cycle, it's important to keep an eye on the recruitment process on the regular and collect some data. This can help you identify any issues and figure out where the problems might be coming from.

For example, are you attracting a certain type of applicant? Are candidates making it through the process but then dropping out? It's possible the problems could be coming from specific individuals or teams within the organisation.

By keeping an eye on things and collecting some data, you can start to make a more fair and inclusive hiring process.

Is it possible to remove all bias?

While it may not be possible to completely eliminate unconscious bias, we can still work towards creating a more diverse and equitable hiring process by being mindful of and actively addressing our biases. By understanding the sources of our biases and how they impact our hiring decisions, we can become more aware of them and take steps to mitigate their influence.

If you want to speed up your hiring process while keeping biases in check , learn more about RippleHire. It's a talent acquisition and employee referral that will make hiring easy for your organisation.