In a professional environment, I have seen ample instances of how people are generally biased about others, their job roles and even during hiring. Sometimes we do it consciously, but sometimes it happens unconsciously. It is inherent in our nature to weigh and judge, but biased hiring is a detrimental approach to making well-informed decisions. The recruitment industry is already suffering from the talent shortage, growing skill gaps, and uncertain times ahead. During such times, personal bias is the last thing we should be worrying about.
By incorporating a culture of inclusivity and diversity, today, companies have adopted newer people management approaches to reduce biased hiring. But we still see a lot of institutional bias during the hiring process. And let me tell you, such discrimination is not just about race, age, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation. People can also get biased about academic background, place of origin, personal history, and so on.
“Human beings are poor examiners, subject to superstition, bias, prejudice, and a PROFOUND tendency to see what they want to see rather than what is really there.” –
M. Scott Peck, American Psychiatrist, Best-Selling Author
A company might unintentionally create barriers for diverse candidates or be unaware of sourcing talent in the right direction because they have a bias towards a certain process or traditional methods. The point is, whenever there are human interactions involved, there is a likelihood of bias. And every decision arriving out of the same will never be productive. Personal bias during hiring can make companies lose out on good talent and potential business growth.
Eliminating Bias in Hiring with HR Tech
Technology can create an environment where people’s behavior gets automatically corrected.
With AI-driven recruitment software and processes run by Machine Learning, technology has finally come to our rescue with scientific methods of identifying and sourcing talent. Some HR technologies are designed to help source diverse candidates by reaching out to a broader and more inclusive talent pool. This ensures that the hiring manager/recruiter is looking at the right place to start with. Then, there is software that helps define job roles and present them in a more appealing manner instead of the conventional cut-and-dried descriptions. Apart from sourcing, there is assessment software, which makes candidate evaluation fool-proof. When screening and testing candidates, it is essential to shortlist them without bias.
Giving a chance to all the applicants
AI-enabled tools like Oto_Code can screen all the applicants, instead of allowing the recruiters to apply bias to screen or shortlist. Owing to time constraints, it is natural for recruiters to apply certain filters for screening based on age, gender, previous employment history, etc. But AI can eliminate all such biases and screen applicants based purely on whether they meet the business objectives.
HR technologies are also helpful at different levels/phases of the hiring journey to identify where and how people are getting biased. You can leverage AI and automation to replace human intervention and quickly perform the same tasks while removing the chances of discrimination.
Organizations need more strategic decisions on human resource management and ensure that they don’t miss out on wonderful talent because of biased hiring. Technology can support this endeavor and streamline and automate everything they need.
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