How to bin the recruitment bias for good... and boost productivity

Recruitment bias is still a thing – we're all human after all.

Chances are you're all about the equality as a person, and as a company.

But, put your hiring strategy under the microscope, and you might just find there are things that make it harder or easier for certain folks to land a job with you.

By scrubbing your strategy clean of any unexpected recruitment bias, you can choose the best candidates based on ability alone and find workplace oneness!

In fact, diverse companies are 70% more likely to capture new markets and stand a 45% better chance of increasing overall market share.

Let's take a gander:

We're all a little biased – that's just how it is

Even with the Equality Act keeping employers on the straight and narrow, bias still happens. Don't worry, though. It's not your fault – and, you can do something to solve it!

Start by taking a super-sleuth approach to appraising your strategy and figuring out where bias might be slipping in:

Familiarity

People naturally like people similar to themselves. So, unless your workplace balance is already bang on the money, chances are it'll only get less diverse without some special attention.

This could apply at the recruitment stage, or even earlier if a candidate is recommended by one of your current staff members.

Preconceptions

In the UK, candidates with 'white-sounding' names are almost twice as likely to get a positive response from employers than other candidates.

Also, companies like Deloitte reckon employers can be biased towards applicants from specific universities.

Understanding

It might just be about understanding what motivates people, or turns them off.

For instance, women are less likely to apply for a job they don't feel 100% qualified for. And, too much focus on work drinks culture can also cut people out.

How to bin that recruitment bias for good

Here's how to make sure the only thing your strategy is biased against is inequality:

Human touch

It's time to collaborate. Gather a group of advocates to check through all your recruitment stuff before it goes live.

Offer staff the chance to help fine-tune your recruitment docs to take account of different gender, racial, sexual and religious perspectives.

Take a fresh look at your job ads, employer branding and even interview questions and get rid of anything that doesn't have a wide appeal.

When the time comes, bring someone from a different demographic along to interview the candidate with you.

And, double-check all candidates are getting asked the same questions – both in the formal interview and pre/post-interview chit-chat to put everyone on a level playing field.

Tech takeover

Recruitment tech is the pro-level way to stamp out recruitment bias for good.

A lot of it comes down to the info you see on a CV, and what info you actually need to pick out the right hire.

Companies like HSBC and KPMG now do 'name-blind' applications. Use recruitment tech to scrape this – and school/uni info – from job apps before you see them.

Instead of just CVs, try using online competency and personality tests pre-interview to trim down that shortlist.

Fire out your ad on all platforms (job sites, career microsites, social media formatted for desktop and mobile) to make sure it gets to all types of candidate.

Crunch the numbers to see whether diversity is improving over time. If not, collate data from candidate feedback to figure out what to do next.

Get this nailed and watch your company's productivity soar!