Today, many companies focus sincere efforts on improving the diversity, equity, and inclusivity (DE&I) of their businesses. For companies recruiting directly at entry-level, this can be difficult. Many barriers exist in an outdated hiring process, and you may not even realize that you are contributing to the lack of DE&I in your company.
Signs of an Outdated Hiring Process
Poorly Written Job Descriptions
The first sign of a poor hiring process shows in the quality of your job ads. If your job descriptions are over-written, tedious, and filled with irrelevant or excessive requirements puts off candidates from the start.
You will reach a more diverse sample of candidates by updating your job descriptions. Keep them brief, engaging, and precise about the vital qualifications needed for the job. Focus on the necessary skills and make sure candidates know that every single skill isn’t required for consideration.
Exclusive Language
Unless the position requires someone of a particular sex, gender, race, or other specific characteristic or requirement, being too specific and using exclusive language conveys subliminal messages about the type of candidate you’re looking for.
The first step in becoming more inclusive in your job descriptions is to recognize potential bias and address it. Many recruitment tools are available to assist with “blind hiring,” ensuring that candidates are evaluated based on their skills and experience only.
Rigid Interviews
If your interview feels more like an interrogation than a professional conversation, you need to look at revising the interview process. Interviews are an opportunity to learn more about the candidate’s personality and ability to mesh with your company’s culture. Monotonous scripts and rigid questions do not encourage candidates to open up.
To make your process more relaxed and productive, begin by getting rid of outdated questions. Focus on the kind of person you need in the position and prepare questions that generate conversation about their work style and what they are looking for in a future position.
Avoid Affinity Bias and Pedigree Preference
Affinity bias describes our natural draw toward people who remind us of ourselves. In a hiring setting, this could lead to favoring candidates who have similar educational backgrounds or previous employers.
Pedigree preference occurs when you note prestigious schools or former employers on a candidate’s resume and assume those candidates are more qualified for the role because of their education or work experience at those specific places.
Keep an open mind when reviewing resumes and consider all the different paths a candidate may take before deciding. The screening process is about screening people in, not ruling people out.
Conclusion
Improving DE&I in your company begins with the hiring process. Outdated ads, interviews, and screening requirements block hundreds of top-notch job candidates from success every day. By taking the steps above, you can improve your hiring process and ensure that your company culture becomes more diverse, inclusive, and successful.
Need to hire top-notch talent? Contact Career Foundations today!
