7 Practical Ways to Reduce Bias in Your Hiring Process

Research shows that the hiring process is impartial and unfair. Unconscious racism, ageism, and sexism play a big role in who gets hired. The good news is there are steps you can take to reduce unconscious biases. Here are some strategies: (1) Simplify. Standardize the process by seeking out software and other analytical tools that bring structure to hiring procedures. (2) Rework job descriptions. Experiment with the wording of your job listings by removing adjectives associated with a particular gender. (3) Give a work sample test. Tests that mimic the kinds of tasks the candidate will be doing in the job are the best indicators of future performance. (4) Standardize interviews. Ask each candidate the same set of defined questions, and use an interview scorecard to grade the answers. (5) Set diversity goals. Leaders should track how well they’re doing against targets. This encourages others in the organization to keep equality top of mind.