Eliminate Discrimination in Recruitment

8 min

Vincent is a hiring manager tasked with finding a new Quality Control Specialist for Town Star National Bank. He wants to ensure that he isn’t discriminating against any candidates and that all of his practices and decisions are legally compliant.

Most people are like Vincent.

They want to mitigate the negative impact of their biases and get the best possible person for the role. But they don’t know when the negative impact occurs. The recruitment stage of the hiring process is one of the first places bias can affect decisions.

To eliminate bias in recruitment,

prioritize fair hiring and focus on only

the essential requirements of a position.

Here are some tactics to help you eliminate bias in recruitment:

TO RECAP:

• Review your job descriptions
• Expand your network for recruitment
• Accommodate applicants with disabilities

Now let’s return to Vincent. Here’s a draft of his job description for the Quality Control Specialist position. Can you identify any language that might be considered biased?

All applicants must have:

• Ability to use computer-based systems and software
• Exceptional ability to process funding functions in a competitive environment
• Knowledge in title procedures, post-closing problem files, and legal document corrections
• Excellent organizational skills

Quiz 1 of 3

Can you identify one example in Vincent’s draft that might be considered biased in the requirements section?

a

Knowledge in title procedures, post-closing problem files, and legal document corrections

b

Excellent organizational skills

c

Exceptional ability to process funding functions in a competitive environment

d

Ability to use computer-based systems

C. Exceptional ability to process funding functions in a competitive environment

The phrase “competitive environment” has a male-biased phrasing and could be off-putting to female candidates.

Now Vincent has to decide where to post his job. He reaches out to his old fraternity network online and creates a posting on LinkedIn as well. How could Vincent expand his candidate pool to be more fair?

Quiz 2 of 3

How could Vincent expand his candidate pool to make it more fair?

a

Submit his posting to a local job fair.

b

Ask his coworkers to post the job.

c

Post the job on his private social media profile.

d

Share the posting with other fraternities from his alma mater.

A. Submit his posting to a local job fair

Though it might not seem like it, not everyone is looking exclusively for jobs online. Many people use job fairs to put a face to the company they are applying to. A job fair expands Vincent’s pool of candidates from just fraternities and social media

After reviewing a few resumes, Vincent knows who he wants to send his pre-employment test to. One of his candidates, Elena, has marked yes to having disabilities on her application and lists herself as “visually impaired.” What should Vincent do with this information?

Quiz 3 of 3

How should Vincent respond to Elena’s application?

a

Don’t give Elena the test, just bring her in for an interview.

b

Give Elena a reader during the test to accommodate her disability.

c

Give Elena the test with same expectations as the other candidates.

d

Reject Elena’s application because she isn’t qualified for the role.

B. Give Elena a reader during the test to accommodate her disability

If a candidate lists a disability on their application, make sure they have what they need to take the test. An open discussion with a blind or visually impaired applicant can usually result in recommendations to make the test accessible, such as a reader.

By checking the language in his job description, broadening the location of his job posting, and accommodating any applicants with a disability, Vincent is taking steps to eliminate areas where discrimination might occur by focusing on only the essential requirements of the position.

TAKE THE NEXT STEP:

Write down all the places you plan to post your job description. Talk with your HR representative to find other places to broaden your applicant pool.

Get Ahead of Potential Discrimination in Hiring

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