3 Steps You Can Take to Dismantle Common Hiring Bias [INFOGRAPHIC INCLUDED]
💥This is #IncreaseDiversity, a weekly newsletter + monthly workshop series sharing best practices for employers who want to implement effective diversity recruitment programs. To see previous editions, visit JenniferTardy.com. | IG: @IncreaseDiversity 💥
News From #TeamJTC:
👉🏾 SAVE THE DATE | Free JTC Masterclass | July 13, 2021, at noon EST | In this complimentary 2-hour workshop, facilitated by Jenn Tardy, Diversity Recruiting Influencer and Thought Leader, participants will learn where bias hides within common policies, practices, and behaviors, how bias leads to underrepresentation, and actions leaders must start doing AND stop doing to move the dial in increasing diversity. A portion of the workshop includes Q+A. Click to Register
Wouldn’t it be great to be able to say that bias does not exist in your workplace’s hiring process? I get it, we all want to be able to say that. Especially if we have recently made a public commitment to increasing diversity within our individual organizations.
Increasing diversity requires dismantling bias and inequity in your hiring process. To support your journey, #TeamJTC created an infographic outlining 3 steps you can take to dismantle bias and inequity in your hiring process.
Feel free to download and share within your workplace and community.
Here’s a quick recap of what you will find in the (above) downloadable infographic:
Challenge #1: New roles are sometimes for specific individuals with no connection to business necessity. If you are a leader and your affinity bias leads you to have a good relationship with, socialize, or only want to be around people who are like you, then these employment opportunities are predicated upon a person’s relationship with and access to you. Therefore, for those with no relationship and no access, there is little to no employment opportunity.
Ask yourself: What is the business need? What responsibilities are required to fill the gap on this team? Focus on position first, then build a pool of talent for that role.
Step to Dismantle Bias + Inequity: Hire for a business need by clearly defining and stating the new role’s responsibilities in alignment to the business gap.
Challenge #2: Hiring managers can sometimes have an exaggerated impression of the qualifications necessary to do the work outlined in the role. The longer the list of qualifications, it creates a needle in a haystack or a purple squirrel effect and reduces the size of a potential candidate pool. Too many qualified job seekers are unintentionally eliminated.
Ask yourself: What qualifications are necessary to successfully deliver upon each of the duties outlined in the role?
Step to Dismantle Bias + Inequity: Clarify the minimum qualifications necessary to execute the role’s stated responsibilities.
Challenge #3: Hiring managers sometimes have overinflated and preconceived notions of how talent should be “packaged” in order to fit the exaggerated list of qualifications. The more unnecessary qualifications deemed essential to do the work, the more unrealistic the expectations you will have for the candidates you interview. You will find yourself assessing the person (i.e., their look, presence, sound, tone, etc.) rather than assessing a person’s knowledge, skills, and abilities (i.e., their capacity to get the job done). This is how hiring leaders leave the door open for stereotyping bias.
Ask yourself: Does this person have the knowledge, skills, and ability to meet the qualifications for this role?
Step to Dismantle Bias + Inequity: Assess an individual’s knowledge, skills, and ability to deliver upon the stated qualifications for the role.
As you can see, one common theme we can take away from the challenges we face in dismantling unconscious bias in recruitment and hiring discrimination is transparency and honesty. They are necessary to complete these first few steps in the right direction. It’s maybe an age-old teaching, just be honest about what you’re looking for, but it is effective.
Join me in the comments: What would you add to this list of steps to dismantle bias and inequity in your hiring process?
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