Tech Talent for All: How to Reduce Hiring Bias In Your Organization

by Saheem P May 12, 2023

Are you struggling to attract and retain a diverse pool of tech talent? The tech industry has long struggled to maintain a diverse workplace and eliminate hiring bias.

Hiring Bias includes the unconscious or conscious attitudes and beliefs that affect decision-making ability. In this blog post, we'll explore the concept of hiring bias and see 5 methods to eliminate it effectively.

Importance of reducing hiring bias for your organization (hiring discrimination)

By taking a number of measures, your organization can build a top-inclusive tech team and eliminate different types of bias.

Some of the common biases found in organizations include Affinity bias, Age bias, Attribution bias, Appearance-focused bias, Gender bias, Racial bias, and Religious bias.

Here are some tips to reduce hiring discrimination in your organization

Enhanced reputation and brand image
Increased productivity and performance
Access to a wider pool of talent
Improved employee retention
Compliance with legal requirements.

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5 Methods to Reduce Hiring Bias in Your Organization

1. Conduct Structured Interviews based on predetermined Questions and Criteria

Structured interviews ensure that all candidates are evaluated on the same criteria. Structured interviews are more efficient than unstructured interviews.

A study of over 1,000 interviews found that structured interviews had a reliability coefficient of 0.63, while unstructured interviews had a reliability coefficient of 0.36. Thus structured interviews perform better than unstructured and also help to improve a candidate’s experience and predict job performance.

Another study from Schmidt & Hunter suggests that structured interviews had a validity coefficient of 0.54, while unstructured interviews had a validity coefficient of 0.38.

There are numerous benefits of structured interviews, such as increased reliability, reduced interviewer bias, and increased diversity

2. Implement Blind Resume Screening to remove Identifying information and Reduce Bias

Using bling resume screening helps remove identifying information from resumes to reduce the impact of personal biases. According to a survey, 74% of CEOs are focused on hiring the best talent without considering age, demographics, or geography.

Another research by CMIC Global suggests that an applicant with a male name has a 40% higher chance of being interviewed than an applicant with a female name.

Bling resume screening helps remove unconscious bias and also comes with a number of added advantages, such as Promoting diversity and inclusion, improving objectivity, enhancing the employer brand, and complying with legal requirements.

3. Implement Training and Education to Promote Awareness of Diversity

According to research, 71% of employers say diversity practices have a positive impact on their company.

LinkedIn found that 86% of job seekers want to see information about a company's diversity and inclusion efforts in their job postings.

Adding Training and education to promote awareness of diversity also helps with increased understanding and awareness and also encourages creativity and innovation.

Overall, implementing training and education to promote awareness of diversity can help attract and retain top talent.

4. Add Inclusive Language in job postings, which can reach a larger number of Candidates

According to a study by Textio, job postings that use inclusive language get 23% more responses from job seekers.

Many organizations struggle to build an inclusive team because of unconscious biases that are embedded in their recruitment practices.

Inclusive language helps in welcoming talent from diverse backgrounds.

This also helps attract a diverse set of candidates and make improve decision-making ability.

Some other benefits include- Improving the employer's brand and reputation, attracting top talent, and creating a more equitable and diverse workforce.

5. Use Performance Metrics to track Progress

According to Linkedin, by using performance metrics to track fair hiring practices, you can reduce hiring costs by 28% and hire times by 50%

By setting clear goals and measuring progress towards them, organizations can reduce bias. Firstly understand that there is bias within the organization and then take measures to reduce it.

For instance, the use of performance metrics can help organizations track progress toward diversity in hiring and eliminating unconscious bias.

By implementing performance metrics, recruiters can also track the number of diverse candidates who are being interviewed.

Also, Read-

The Future of Tech Hiring | Tacnique's Virtual Interview Platform

Say Goodbye To Time-Consuming Interviews: Advantages Of Interview As A Service

Final thoughts on implementing a bias-free hiring process

In conclusion, following these principles during interviews is a key way to reach a larger number of candidates and build a more inclusive and diverse workforce.

Bias is there within every organization but the steps mentioned above will help you build a strong and diverse tech team.