How to Reduce Bias in Hiring
According to experts, bias is inevitable in almost all hiring processes. Although not all hiring managers can be faulted for this, an empirical study shows that people make judgments based on personal deep-seated thought patterns and interpretations that they are not aware of, making them unconsciously biased.
As a result, researchers found that companies that discriminated more were less profitable as they missed out on the best applicants under considerations that were irrelevant to their potential job performance. To finally eradicate this obstacle, read along and see how hiring bias can be reduced.
Tips to Reduce Hiring Bias
-
Standardise Interviews
According to studies, job interviews that do not follow a particular structure are often unreliable, since the hiring managers who are facilitating them rely solely on conversation-type communication and merely wait for a candidate’s experience and expertise to unfold organically. This is why standardised interviews are crucial.
Standardised interviews allow employers to set default questions for each job position, allowing them to focus only on factors that have a direct impact on performance and productivity. Aside from that, this will allow managers to choose candidates without bias as they set predetermined criteria where they can rate them based on similar grounds, regardless of age or gender.
-
Consider Other Perspectives
Bias can exist in the hiring process itself, from the use of masculine pronouns to the expectations provided on job descriptions, as they are typically developed from one perspective — that of the immediate manager. With this, it is vital to make a collective effort and ask for different inputs in all stages of the hiring process, from job posting to onboarding. This will serve not only as a bias check but will also open up an opportunity for a more diverse workforce that is both qualified and productive, without regard to social standing.
-
Implement a Work Sample Test
According to studies, merely relying on resume screening and interviews is a backward hiring approach, making it vital to resort to work sample tests that would predict performance and potential for better hires.
Work sample tests typically consist of job-related problems that partake in the nature of a skill test. This allows employers to calibrate their judgments and see how candidates compare with each other, forcing them to critique the quality of their work according to test results and outcomes, rather than judge them unconsciously based on appearance, personality, gender, or age.
Get the Help You Need
To reduce, and finally eradicate hiring bias, companies can resort to either of these two things, HR cloud solutions or HR services.
HR cloud solutions allow employers to leave tasks that may involve subjective decisions in the hands of reliable systems that can accurately calculate the results of candidate evaluation tests based on hard numbers. On the other hand, with HR services, they can gain expert assistance and advice on reviewing their hiring policies and recruitment processes.
Partner up with Yomly for an HR platform in the UAE, along with HR services that can help you make smarter and more strategic hiring decisions over the long term.