Wednesday, October 19, 2011

5 Ways to Combat Hidden Bias in Recruiting



You know you need to do a better job of recruiting diversity candidates, but you're still falling short of your goals. The problem may lie in 'hidden' biases that you're not even aware of. Here's how to combat them.

Don't post the job ad in English only. If your role requires a lot of interaction with a population whose first language isn't English, why not post the job ad (or parts of it) in that language as well as English? You'll attract more diverse candidates - and you may end up with someone who'll be more successful with your customers.

Go easy on jargon and region-specific slang terms in the job ad. Sentences like "Create value by leveraging stakeholder enthusiasm for productivity," are difficult for native English speakers to understand. They're even harder for people whose first language isn't English - and may keep them from applying.

Remove names from resumes before you screen them. Studies show that 'ethnic' names can affect how people perceive resumes. So have an intern remove the names from resumes before you do the screening process. That way you'll know you're judging them on skills, experience and presentation - not on any subconscious preconceptions.

Ensure your recruiting/hiring team is diverse. Diversity candidates tend to perform better when they're screened/interviewed by diversity employees, even if they aren't from the same background.

Make sure every candidate gets the same interview. As the statistics above demonstrate, diverse candidates are often given short shrift in the interview room. By having a formalized interview plan - in which everyone is asked the same questions, provided with the same information, and given the same amount of time, you increase the chances that a diverse candidate will perform well in the interview setting.

Graph above from the workexposed blog

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Do your employees really know what holidays you're celebrating?

Now that all the stores are featuring huge displays of Hallowe'en candy, I was reminded of an office Hallowe'en party I went to a few years ago, which was a wakeup call about the need for more diversity awareness.

We were all standing around the boardroom eating various pumpkin-shaped Rice Krispie treats, cupcakes with orange and black frosting, and of course there was lots and lots of candy.

One of our newer employees, who'd recently moved to Canada from Mumbai, remarked that she "always" enjoyed these Hallowe'en parties, because she loved candy.

"But," I said, "you weren't here for last Hallowe'en, were you?"

"Well, you know - whatever that last one was where we also had candy."

It took me a second, but then I realized she was referring to an Easter egg hunt we'd had the previous April - which, of course, was also heavy on the sweet treats.

To me, this was a good example of how often we just don't think about diversity in the workplace. It had never occurred to me that to some of our new Canadians, all these celebrations - our office tended to bring out the candy on Valentine's Day, Thanksgiving and even St. Patrick's Day, as well as Hallowe'en and Easter - were a bit bewildering. Sure, most new Canadians, regardless of religion or culture, were aware of Christmas, but 'holidays' like Hallowe'en are often new (and probably meaningless) to them.

More importantly, it made me realize that we weren't doing a good job of celebrating their big days.

Celebrations like the Diwali (Hindu), for example, feature lots of sweetmeats - perfect for an office which likes to bring out the cupcakes and candy for other events!

So this year, when you find yourself putting the company plastic-pumpkin-filled-with-candy in the lobby, you may want to approach one of your new Canadian employees and ask them about their favourite cultural holiday - and then make plans to celebrate it, as well.