So, you want to foster an inclusive and diverse workplace? That is amazing! You also want to make sure that you have the right person for the job? Makes complete sense.
But there is a lot of unconscious or implicit bias while screening resumes, so what’s your plan to avoid it? Ah. You don’t have one.
That’s normal. Most people just wing it and pick whatever resumes they think to look good regardless of a candidate’s background. This is a brilliant idea in practice. However, even the smallest thing like a foreign or black-sounding name can actually trigger unconscious bias and lead to the rejection of an ideal candidate.
Don’t feel bad about having unconscious biases. It is part of human nature, and we all have them. Even the most open-minded, tolerant person has them. Many biases are also imperceptible unless you do a lot of self-reflection.
Yet as you know, having biases can hinder the workplace, and you may be responding to those biases when looking through resumes. This prevents diversity, stunts growth, and even leads to illegal hiring practices.
What to do?
First and foremost, we suggest you self-reflect on your unconscious beliefs. It can be a gruelling process, but if you need a hand, look into our Introduction to Intercultural Competency workshop, which addresses unconscious biases and how to overcome them. There should be a few tips and tricks on identifying and working towards removing unconscious biases.
Job Posting
Your first step is to remove gendered language in your job posting. You should know not to forbid a certain gender or ethnicity from applying to your job posting. But did you know that just the wording of your job post can put people off?
Using unnecessary masculine language in a job posting can deter female or bi-gendered people from applying. Words like strong, dominant, leader and competitive are male-coded. If these words are just fluff, remove them. If you are unsure, play around with your wording. You may find a different pool of people apply. There are websites and software that can help, such as Gender Decoder.
Create a Point System
Now that your revamped job posting has attracted many candidates, you must pick a resume. That is the hard part. You have to make sure that none of your unconscious bias affects your judgment.
One way to do so is by making diversity goals and purposefully making a conscious effort to pick applicants with diverse backgrounds. You can assign points to different aspects of a resume, such as the ability to speak another language, international schooling, volunteer work in cultural settings and more. Then you add that up as well and pick the strongest candidates with the most points.
Make sure to add that you are an inclusive workplace within the job posting, perhaps crafting an overall statement that can be used within your business.
Remember, it is a process. It takes time to remove your biases, but it is time that you may not have when it comes to hiring a new employee.
Go in Blind
Creating a point system can be a bit tedious, and you may miss out if you forget to assign points to things like experience and soft skills. However, one sure-fire way to avoid any unconscious bias is to go in blind.
Ask a coworker to remove all names and mentions of gender, age, location, disability or ethnicity and assign a number to the resume. Ensure that they have kept the originals so you don’t lose track of your candidates. Then make a pick from this pile.
You’ll have your ideal candidates without the fear of letting your unconscious biases affect your decision.
Once you’ve decided who to interview, work is still to be done. Read tips for Inclusive Interviewing for ways to avoid unconscious bias while in the interview process using the link in the right-hand menu.
