Blind hiring has been used to reduce bias against job candidates during the hiring process. HR managers are hoping to make sound decisions based on the applicant's skills and knowledge related to the job. The technique of blind hiring can be used to promote a more inclusive workplace, but it doesn't come without its risks.
In order to ensure they blindly hire a good candidate, organizations should use a few best practices. Below, seven members of Forbes Human Resources Council offer their advice on reducing risks associated with blind hiring.
Members of Forbes Human Resources Council share tips on how leads can reduce risks when blind hiring.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.1. Ensure Unbiased Job Descriptions And Questions
Blind hiring can promote a more inclusive workplace. Before blind hiring can begin, organizations need to review their and change job descriptions and job postings to be gender-neutral. Then, those participating in the hiring process should be provided interview questions that demonstrate talent and skill alignment with an organization’s core values. Finally, a candidate’s identifiable information should be removed. - Sherry Martin
2. Use Evidence-Based Assessment Tools
Using evidence-based assessment tools that have the ability to benchmark positions using existing talent data, such as top performer analysis, helps run a blind process that has a much lower risk of a bad hire. Also, using behavioral assessments that are aligned with your culture profile helps gain deeper data on a candidate's approach to work and teams, which is invaluable in a blind process. - Subhashree Chaudhuri, Equal Opportunity Schools
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3. Assemble A Diverse Hiring Panel
As a best practice, assemble diverse hiring panels at the outset of the recruiting process to ensure candidates see an inclusive workforce that values diversity. Then, leverage data-driven talent management software to hire fairly, efficiently and accurately without worrying about unconscious bias entering the recruiting process. - Susan Tohyama, Ceridian
4. Conduct Face-To-Face Interviews
When unconscious bias hinders diversity, blind hiring can solve the problem. However, it can also have a reverse effect if the majority of qualified applicants are all from the same demographic. Leaders can implement blind hiring effectively by removing identifiable characteristics from applications early in the screening process, then conducting face-to-face interviews later with top candidates. - John Feldmann, Insperity
5. Ask Behavioral Interview Questions
Be mindful of interviewing questions. Move from just cognitive questions and center on behavioral interviews. Ensure your questions are relevant, focusing on knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs). In order to be an expert at this, you should thoroughly know the role you want to hire for and the KSAs that will make the selected candidate successful. - Nakisha Griffin, Ripple Effect
6. Utilize Structured Interviews
To improve both inclusivity and quality of hire, place greater emphasis on structured interviews. That is, ask the same, job-related questions in the same order to each candidate with the same evaluation criteria. Job experience tends to be a poor predictor of performance, so reevaluate your "number of years" requirement as it tends to adversely knock out diverse, qualified candidates. - Brett Wells, Perceptyx
7. Implement Performance-Focused Onboarding
When utilizing blind hiring practices, it's important to have strong onboarding programs in place and to set performance metrics that must be met at various points during the training process. Setting measurable goals allows managers to continue to track new employees' performance and productivity and fairly assess their contributions to the company, mitigating the potential for bias after hiring. - Laura Spawn, Virtual Vocations, Inc.
