There are Barriers Hidden in Your Hiring Process! Here is How to Find and Remove Them

This is #IncreaseDiversity, a weekly newsletter series + Increase Diversity Toolbox sharing best practices for employers who want to learn how to….well, increase diversity. To see previous editions, visit JenniferTardy.com. | IG: @IncreaseDiversity 

News From #TeamJTC:

NEW EBOOK | We just added a new eBook to our Increase Diversity Toolbox: “What Increasing Diversity Looks Like Globally: A Brief Introduction to Marginalization, Equity, and the Impact on Recruiting.” If you already subscribe to the Increase Diversity Toolbox, you are in luck as this eBook will be available to you at no additional charge. Otherwise, we invite you to subscribe to the Increase Diversity Toolbox to gain access to this eBook along with many great resources.

FREE CHECKLIST |  We have a FREE, downloadable CHECKLIST for leaders called The Platinum Checklist for Hiring Professionals: 10 Immediate Actions Leaders Must STOP Doing to Increase Diversity. Click to download your free copy. 

Did you know that when it comes to candidates falling out of the hiring process, it is always in one of two ways – they are either rejected during the hiring process or they withdraw. So, when it comes to increasing diversity, you have to ask yourself and your organization is there a trend in the hiring process. Do underrepresented candidates fall out more in your organization? How do you find these hidden barriers and what can you do to remove them?

Here is a video Team JTC created with a step-by-step guide to find those places where people have been rejected or have withdrawn from the hiring process. I also discuss some strategies to help you remove those barriers along the way. You can also find the video directly on the Increase Diversity by Jenn Tardy YouTube channel. Be sure to subscribe when you visit! 

Don’t have time to watch the entire video? Here are the key takeaways:

I’ll start with a quick tip. I always recommend that when looking at the data on your hiring process, you bring your attorney into the conversation as well, because if you find things like adverse impact, you have a responsibility to do something about it. This is the number one reason I’ve found that organizations have historically avoided doing the hard things such as looking at what the data suggests about hidden barriers in their recruitment processes.

The next thing to note is that if you can find a data analyst, you should bring them into the fold as well. This is because when you start looking at data, it can be overwhelming. And since data analysts are used to looking at data constantly, they can help you make sense of all the numbers you’ll be looking at.

Now, on to the takeaways! 

Step #1: Run a data report.

The first step is to run a data report. Instead of looking at this year’s data, you should be focused on data from the past three to four years. Your data analyst can also make recommendations on this when you are looking at the demographics of the candidates who have gone through your recruitment process. If you have a self-identification process where applicants are asked about their race, military status, or disability; these things will be analyzed in the data report. 

Step #2: Segment each step of the hiring process.

Step number two is to segment your data from the applicant tracking system by the milestones in the hiring process. Look at steps like the submission of the application, the initial phone screen, the phone interview with the hiring manager, the final on-site interview, who you distillate when you make the decisions, as well as when the applicants accept the offer or decide otherwise. Make sure you look at all the steps in the process so you can segment your data by your goals. This will give you a clear understanding of what is happening from one step in your hiring process to the next. You will start with a large pool of candidates and that pool will trickle down to the final few who get hired. I also recommend you watch my other video connected to this step, titled “3 Reasons Your Organization May Be Losing Diverse Applicants.”

Step #3: Analyze the data.

Once you have segmented everything out, you should analyze this data and see what the numbers suggest. Try to look for answers to how underrepresented applicants are faring in the entire process. You might find that more women are applying to the position but they cannot seem to get through the phone interview. You might find that people with disabilities are unable to progress from on-site interviews to getting an offer. Such observations should prompt you to look into those steps and investigate those segments in the interview process.  Understanding this data is key to increasing workplace diversity. I also recommend you watch this video on creating a diverse applicant pool.

Join me in the comments: Have you analyzed your hiring processes? What barriers have you identified in your hiring process? Do you have any tips on the best ways to remove these barriers?