I wrote a few weeks ago about Intel’s drive to diversify its workforce. Regular readers know that I write about bias occasionally. It’s good that the topic makes it to the mainstream media occasionally when not related to a lawsuit.
The article talks about techniques to reduce bias. Some are old (truly blind auditions for musicians) and other are new, such as software that provides only the relevant hiring info without showing a person’s name, school attended, or other information that would potentially bias the hiring manager. This puts a premium on validated tests, which I like. Though, I’m sure that there are some readers who would argue that some of these tests are biased as well, but that’s a topic for another post.
This is all well and good, but as any logistics or customer service person will tell you, it’s the last mile that really matters. I can have as diverse of a candidate pool as I want, but if there is bias in the interviewing process, I will be rejecting qualified candidates for non-valid reasons. So, what’s a hiring manager to do?
First, give less weight to the interview and/or make it more valid. Why this barely better than a coin-flip technique makes or breaks a hiring decision when proven and validated techniques are shoved the side is beyond me. OK—I get it. People want to feel in control and have buy-in to the hiring process. But, can we at least be more rational about it? Interview scores should be combined with other data (with appropriate weighting) and the overall score should be used to make hiring decisions, not the one unreliable data point.
Second, why not blind interviewing? Hear me out. How many jobs really require someone to think on their feet and provide oral answers to complex questions? Sure, there are some (sales, for instance), but not that many. Why not have candidates submit written answers to interview questions? The scoring would be more reliable (evaluating grammar/spelling could be optional for jobs where it’s not critical), and accents, gender, and skin color would be taken out of the equation. Think about it.
Lastly, a diverse workforce is a result of a valid and inclusive selection process. When companies approach it the other way (working backwards from hiring goals by demographic group), they miss the point. Diversity isn’t about filling buckets. It’s about providing equal opportunity every step of the way when hiring.
For more information on valid pre-employment testing hiring practices, contact Warren Bobrow.