Recent research shows that biases about hiring people who “fit” can interfere with creating a diverse and inclusive company. Yet odds are, at some point in your career, you’ve fielded – or asked – an interview question to determine whether or not there is a “fit” with the organization. Long a standard part of the hiring process, questions such as these are under new scrutiny. Many companies are reviewing the policies and procedures that guide their hiring process, but what is “hiring bias” and what does the research show about mitigating its impact on talent acquisition? 

According to Michele Ruiz, founder and CEO of BiasSync, "We naturally have an affinity for people like us. And the "like us" can vary depending on our group, our orientation, our political beliefs, our faith, and all kinds of things. It is not uncommon to assert or provide preference to people who "fit," and that can be a barrier into diversifying not so much your candidate pool, but certainly who you hire."

Another term for “people like us” is “in-group.” Dr. Bentley Gibson, associate professor of psychology at Georgia Highlands College and one of BiasSync’s leading experts on in-groups and their impact on diversity, inclusion, and levels of belonging in corporate cultures.

“You hear organizations and people say, ‘I think you'll be a good fit.’ What we really need to be looking for is additions, cultural adds, so that we get out of that desire to look for that in-group bias.”

Diversity offers varying perspectives that add to innovation and productivity, but companies are not retaining diversity because they are not creating an inclusive culture where people are able to work together beyond their in-group biases and feel psychologically safe enough to perform, Gibson said. Thus, they are not reaping the benefits of inclusive hiring practices.

Diversity and Inclusion Hiring Strategy

To increase fairness and reduce bias in your hiring process, start with a diverse candidate pool. Make sure that recruiting is in alignment with where diverse candidates are found -- historically black colleges or professional organizations where minorities or people of different sexual orientations are members.

Remove identifying information in resumes that might prompt bias, including candidate names and schools. Constrain your evaluation to the job description and whether or not the candidate’s skills and experience suit the role.

Offer to provide a virtual background for candidates to use in the virtual interviewing process so that you're viewing everyone in the same context, as opposed to their home environment or chosen interview location. Avoid asking different questions to different candidates based on their social identity and avoid microaggressions[1]  – showing unconscious bias by conjecture.

Audit the recruiting and hiring process frequently. Be sure that the company projects itself as bias-free on social media, websites, and other collateral.

Unconscious Bias Training

For those looking to delve deeper into the hiring process, BiasSync’s Five-Stage Inclusivity Roadmap™ is a robust guide to best practices, offering evidence-based tools on hiring, interviewing, compensation, and negotiating compensation. BiasSync’s “bible” was designed by organizational behavioral Ph.D.s. and includes checklists and worksheets providing guidance for thinking about fit in terms of values and objective standards.

As organizational equity consists of the infrastructure, policies, and practices that promote access and opportunity to all employees through acknowledgment of disparity, conducting an audit can support organizations in assessing these areas. Audits are tools used to gather data that reveals patterns, trends, and, most important, inequities across different groups. As a result, organizations that assess and intentionally build more equitable workplaces see greater employee engagement, retention, performance, and increase positive workplace environments.

Along with the Five-Stage Inclusivity Roadmap™, BiasSync specializes in assessing levels of bias across an organization, providing “state of the state” data and granular insights into areas of risk, emerging risk, levels of inclusiveness, and potential equity barriers. The data and analytics pulled from these proprietary assessments provide actionable insights into the employee journey–from recruitment to retirement. This supports BiasSync’s engaging curriculum and catalyzes meaningful impact organization-wide. As CEO Michele Ruiz summarizes, “We're about behavior change. That's the most important thing.”

If you are interested in learning more about BiasSync we encourage you to reach out to our team. For more information on the role of unconscious biases in the hiring process, we encourage you to watch the webinar or join us for one of our upcoming, expert-led virtual conversations.