TalentClick Interview: Avoiding Unconscious Bias When Hiring
Danielle Bragge, our President and Co-Founder, was included in an article by our partners at TalentClick about unconscious bias—specifically, how it impacts the hiring process and how to avoid it.
Unconscious bias is our deep-seated prejudice about others. It can be positive or negative, influencing our everyday decisions, usually without us realizing it. As Danielle discussed with TalentClick, unconscious bias can appear throughout the hiring process, including in pre-screening and interviewing.
TalentClick recommends six hiring practices that can help reduce the effects of biases:
- removing names from resumes before screening
- using a standardized matrix for rating applicants
- implementing a high-quality normative personality assessment tool (such as the Workstyle & Performance Profile)
- benchmarking assessment scores against “ideal score ranges” based on objective data on high-performers in the same job position
- standardizing interview questions
- seeking input from other team members.
By implementing these best practices, “Some companies are now hiring outstanding new employees whom they might have previously passed over because of their biases,” Danielle says. “Those managers aren’t bad people; they just needed a little help in overriding biases which, if we’re not careful, can affect all of us.”
Read the full article »
After a rewarding 30 years of recruiting in South Africa and Canada, Danielle Bragge built The Headhunters from the ground up in 2009. Her business achievements are predicated on people, since she understands profoundly that companies are successful because of the individuals they hire and the leadership they cultivate. Read more ».