Hiring bias can occur at any time. When interviewing and hiring someone who may have different abilities or a background that is very different from your own, personal bias can be more challenging to overcome. Creating a truly diverse and inclusive workplace may test personal biases of not only the hiring manager, but the entire organization. Here’s how to help overcome this hurdle.
Vincent Scaramuzzo, President, Ed-Exec, Inc.
Inclusive recruiting is connecting with people of different backgrounds, opinions, and experiences. Everyone is prone to judging someone before getting to know them. It is a basic human instinct when we overcome our biases, more times than not we are pleasantly surprised to find that our bias was completely inaccurate.
The first step to removing bias from your hiring process is to redefine diversity and inclusion for your organization. To achieve this mission, organize a group of people from all areas of the company to this discussion. Allowing your team members to have a voice will help foster a more inclusive environment right away. It can also lend some great ideas on refining the hiring process going forward.
The next step is to look at your current vacancies from a new lens. Doing so may mean rewriting your job posting to highlight the skills required for the job. Take a hard look at what success looks like in the position rather than the perfect person. When you focus on skills and success factors, you can begin to eliminate educational or physical abilities biases.
The final step is to widen your search. Job boards are not one size fits all. If you are genuinely committed to removing bias, it may be helpful to work with a recruiter. A recruiter can cast a much wider net to find you the best potential fit for your organization. They can also guide you through the interviewing processing to help remove bias.
The most important aspect of inclusive hiring is to see the person for who they are. Those with differing abilities do not see themselves as different. Their wheelchair, hearing aids, or service dog are normal to them. LGBQT+ people may have different lifestyles but are no different than anyone else. While it is essential to be respectful and inquire about any accommodations that may be needed, this should be a standard question asked in all interviews.
Creating a diverse and inclusive hiring process is not hard and will help you not only create a more diverse workforce, but help you uncover some of the best talent. The key is not to get trapped in bias. Honestly, this is true in all hiring.
*Not all articles are original works of Vincent Scaramuzzo or Ed-Exec, Inc.*
Vincent Scaramuzzo is the President of Ed-Exec, Inc. A leading Education Executive Search Firm. He is also a contributing author to various education publications regarding education recruiting. As a specialist in the education field for over a decade, Scaramuzzo works nationally. He can be contacted at vincent@ed-exec.com 860-781-7641.