The Hidden and Unconscious Bias in Resume Screening and Recruitment: All You Need to Know

According to scientific consensus, our minds are swift decision-makers, often acting on intuition before conscious thought kicks in.

Extensive research reaffirms this reality, exposing our vulnerability to implicit biases.

While we may pride ourselves on rational thinking, our brain’s backstage activities play a significant role in shaping our judgments and choices.

When it comes to hiring, this subconscious mind can sway decisions more than we’d like to admit.

In the world of job hunting, your resume is your golden ticket, your foot in the corporate door.

But beneath the surface of this seemingly impartial process lies a hidden truth: bias lurks in the shadows of resume screening and overall recruitment, often undetected but profoundly influential.

Imagine being judged not by your qualifications alone, but by factors you can’t control—gender, race, age, and more.

It’s a harsh reality that job seekers face daily.

Welcome to the enigmatic world of resume screening, where algorithms and human prejudice dance in a clandestine tango.

Join me on a journey to unmask “The Hidden and Unconscious Bias in Recruitment: What You Need to Know.”

What Unconscious Bias Means in Recruitment

Unconscious bias casts its shadow over the hiring process.

It’s the silent saboteur of recruitment, silently whispering judgments in your ear based on superficial factors.

Whether it’s a candidate’s profile photo, their name, or their alma mater, these hidden biases subtly tug at your decision-making strings.

In the early stages of hiring, they can lead you astray, nudging you toward or away from a candidate, all while ignoring their actual qualifications.

In essence, unconscious bias wields a considerable, yet often unseen, influence on your choices, clouding the path to fair and equitable hiring practices.

Is Bias in Recruitment Really as Straightforward as it Seems?

Consider this insight from Matt Alder, a prominent figure in HR and the curator of the Recruiting Future podcast.

He challenges the notion that bias is always unconscious, suggesting that some bias might be consciously at play when employers make hiring decisions.

They often seek individuals who they believe will seamlessly blend into their company culture or resemble their existing team members.

Imagine watching a silent video where a man and a woman enter a room, and the woman appears subservient. Most viewers might interpret it as ‘gender inequality’ or ‘male dominance.’ But what if I told you that, in their culture, the woman and the Earth are revered, and her actions symbolize something entirely different?

Our assumptions, rooted in our backgrounds and preferences, can lead us to act on misconceptions.

Hiring managers, for instance, might choose candidates based on a ‘good feeling,’ even if they can’t articulate why.

So, is it always wrong to select individuals who align with your culture or team?

The answer, like bias itself, is nuanced—sometimes yes, sometimes no.

(Un)conscious Bias is a Drain on Both Your Finances and Talent Pool

Making biased hiring choices leads to less diversity within your teams, and this lack of diversity can impede your business’s overall productivity.

Research consistently supports the notion that businesses thrive when they embrace greater ethnic and gender diversity,” Matt emphasizes, “more diverse companies tend to generate higher revenues.”

However, he cautions:

“We no longer need to make a business case for diversity.”

Your objective isn’t solely to reduce unconscious bias during candidate selection; you must also tackle bias at the source by diversifying where you seek talent.

This becomes especially crucial in the face of talent shortages and skills gaps that result in suboptimal candidate pools.

So, your goal extends beyond diversifying your team; it encompasses diversifying your entire hiring process.

By widening your search and exploring alternative candidate sources, you can tap into individuals with the right skill sets who might not typically enter your hiring pipeline through your standard methods.

“Finding talent in the traditional ways has become increasingly challenging,” Matt points out, “so companies need to think innovatively and adapt to acquire the right skills for their business.”

Achieving this involves removing barriers and considering candidates from non-traditional backgrounds.

In a podcast episode featuring Dominie Moss from The Return Hub, Matt delved into the topic of untapped talent, highlighting our biases against those who took career breaks or seek career changes.

These biases may deprive us of exceptional candidates.

“Companies that grasp this concept tend to be more successful and often outperform their competitors,” Matt observes. “The key, however, lies in their ability to translate this understanding into action and meaningful change.”

How to Eliminate Unconscious Bias from the Hiring Process

First and foremost, acknowledging our biases is key.

While complete eradication may be challenging, Matt emphasizes the importance of fostering awareness and encouraging more deliberate decision-making during the hiring process.

Biases can manifest anywhere. Unconscious bias often seeps into recruitment during resume screening.

This stage involves either advancing or rejecting candidates based on their alignment with our ideal image of the ‘perfect candidate.’

However, it’s not the sole phase where we should vigilantly scrutinize unconscious biases.

Even if we choose to progress a candidate despite lingering doubts about their suitability, those initial impressions persist and can affect our decisions later on.

To uncover potential biases, it’s essential to scrutinize every facet of the entire hiring journey, from the recruitment marketing tactics we employ to the moment we onboard new hires.

Matt provides an example of a company struggling to hire female employees, not due to a lack of female candidates but because more men accepted job offers compared to women.

“Upon researching, they discovered various reviews indicating people’s reluctance to work there.”

The HR team was unaware of these reviews, leading to unaddressed issues. Job seekers often consult platforms like Glassdoor and Indeed for company reviews before finalizing job decisions.

“That issue was one of the root causes,” Matt notes. “They wouldn’t have identified it without analyzing each recruitment stage and pinpointing discrepancies.”

To truly uncover biases, continuous monitoring of your recruitment process, data collection, and pinpointing problem areas are necessary, as Matt explains.

“Do you attract specific types of applicants? Do candidates enter your recruitment process but then exit prematurely? Identifying issues can sometimes lead to specific individuals or teams within the organization.”

The Impact of Technology on Diversity

“There’s a belief that technology could be the solution,” Matt observes.

Tools exist to conceal applicants’ photos or distribute job ads across various platforms, expanding the candidate pool to unexpected corners.

An emerging trend involves anonymizing parts of the hiring process.

In one podcast episode, Matt discussed Penguin Random House’s unique recruitment campaign, devoid of resume scrutiny.

“They didn’t inquire about backgrounds, names, or ages,” Matt recounts. “They simply assigned a written task. Anyone could do that. They only met the shortlisted applicants during the final interview, unaware of their identities. Surprisingly, they recruited individuals who wouldn’t have passed their traditional hiring process, such as those lacking a degree at the time. It proved highly beneficial.”

Nevertheless, technology isn’t a cure-all. Matt recently highlighted how AI could foster objectivity in hiring, but he also emphasized its entanglement with human biases.

“Do technology algorithms inadvertently perpetuate bias in recruitment? Do they exacerbate the problem? These questions will likely fuel debates for years to come.”

Addressing the Root Causes of Unconscious Bias in Recruitment

Rather than relying solely on cutting-edge technology, Matt advocates for self-improvement.

He cites the case of a company facing a specific issue: a dearth of women in senior positions. Committed to solving this problem, they recognized that unconscious biases were influencing interviewers’ decisions.

Technology couldn’t solve this problem.

“Instead, they conducted a series of courses and workshops to raise awareness of biases and their impact.”

Matt also emphasizes that eradicating unconscious bias aligns with overall business objectives. “Companies must rethink their assessment processes.

What skills, experience, and competencies are truly required for the job? By being open-minded in sourcing these competencies, we may hire individuals different from our current workforce.”

This approach is essential because “businesses should mirror the diverse societies they operate in.” Societies are diverse, so unchecked bias in recruitment can hinder efforts to create inclusive workplaces.

“In our current uncertain world, diversity of thought is crucial,” Matt concludes.”

Is it Possible to Truly Eliminate our Biases in Recruitment?

Numerous companies have launched commendable initiatives to foster inclusive global workplaces, while organizations and communities actively champion minority support within professional settings.

Some individuals are deeply committed to enhancing diversity within their organizations, often through roles like a D&I Manager.

Nevertheless, despite these earnest endeavors, eradicating unconscious bias in recruitment remains a challenging task, even amidst genuine efforts to diversify hiring processes.

The key lies in comprehending the origins and impact of our biases on hiring decisions.

While complete elimination may be elusive, awareness empowers us to confront and mitigate unconscious bias when it surfaces.

Frequently Asked Questions & Answers

How does bias affect hiring?

Bias affects hiring by favoring or discriminating against candidates based on irrelevant characteristics, hindering diversity and fairness in the selection process.

What causes hiring bias?

Hiring bias arises from stereotypes, personal preferences, and cultural influences, leading to unfair treatment of candidates during recruitment.

What are the different types of bias that can occur?

Types of bias include gender, racial, age, and confirmation bias. These biases influence decision-making and undermine equal opportunities.

How can we mitigate unconscious bias in recruitment?

To mitigate unconscious bias in recruitment, use blind resume reviews, structured interviews, and diversity training to raise awareness and promote fair evaluation.

Can technology help in reducing unconscious bias?

Technology can reduce unconscious bias through AI-driven screening tools and data analytics, aiding in fairer candidate assessments and more inclusive hiring processes.