Hiring bias can sneak into the recruitment process in many forms, each influencing decisions in ways that can lead to unfair and suboptimal outcomes.
Northwestern’s research on the existence of unconscious bias and its effects on diversity in recruitment shows that unconscious biases affect recruitment in many ways.
Resumes with white-sounding names get 50% more callbacks than African-American-sounding names.
Women without children are 84% more likely to be recommended for a job while women with children are only 47% preferred for hire. While fathers receive higher ratings and salaries.
Both male and female evaluators favor male CVs, and gay applicants get 40% fewer callbacks.
These instances of bias show how deeply ingrained and widespread the issue is, making it essential to understand and address hiring bias in recruitment.
What is hiring bias?
Hiring bias refers to the preconceived notions and stereotypes that unconsciously influence the decision-making process in recruitment.
It occurs when personal preferences, prejudices, or stereotypes influence hiring decisions, leading to unfair advantages or disadvantages.
These biases can manifest in various ways, such as favoring candidates who share similar backgrounds, education, or even hobbies.
While unintentional, hiring bias can lead to a homogenous workforce, stifling creativity and innovation.
After all, there’s research that strongly links diversity initiatives to measurable success.
Here are a few types of hiring biases.
- Affinity bias – Favoring candidates who are similar to ourselves.
- Confirmation bias – Searching for information that confirms our preconceptions.
- Halo effect – Letting one positive trait overshadow all other aspects.
- Horns effect – Allowing one negative trait to cloud our judgment of the candidate’s overall abilities.
- Gender and racial bias – Making decisions based on a candidate’s gender or ethnicity, often subconsciously.
Unconscious bias is a part of being human, and it can influence our hiring choices without us even knowing.
However, AI and automation in the recruitment process can help us tackle this issue.
It can make our evaluations fairer and more consistent. It’ll also help us build diverse and inclusive teams, making recruitment not just more effective but also more equitable.
How ZappyVue’s video interviewing platform helps you prevent hiring bias
At ZappyVue, we understand that efficient hiring is about more than just speed (though we can cut overall time-to-hire by an impressive 70%) – it’s about fairness and quality too.
And our platform does more than just expedite hiring – it helps create a more equitable recruitment process.
1. Standardize your interview process
Unconscious bias is the kind of bias we’re not even aware of. It sneaks in when we make snap judgments based on stereotypes.
ZappyVue ensures every candidate is given the same set of questions, delivered in the same manner.
This standardization eliminates the risk of impromptu questions influenced by unconscious bias and ensures every candidate is evaluated on the same criteria.
2. Evaluate objectively with AI-powered analysis
When humans evaluate, personal feelings and experiences can unintentionally influence decisions.
Our AI algorithms analyze candidate responses without prejudice.
It evaluates based on set parameters, such as language proficiency, relevant experience, and cultural fit, ensuring a more objective assessment.
3. Expand and diversify your talent pool
Sometimes, certain groups of people are overlooked simply because of their background.
ZappyVue opens up your recruitment process to a wider, more diverse pool of candidates.
This diversity brings fresh perspectives and ideas, driving innovation and cultivating a more inclusive workplace culture.
4. Enhance collaboration
One person’s perspective can be narrow, and personal opinions can vary greatly.
ZappyVue’s platform facilitates collaboration among hiring teams wherein multiple reviewers can assess candidate responses independently before discussing their evaluations.
This collective decision-making process helps mitigate individual biases and leads to more balanced hiring decisions.
5. Increase accountability in hiring
Without proper documentation, it’s easy to overlook how decisions are made.
With ZappyVue, every step of the recruitment journey is documented, making it easier to review decisions and ensure they were made fairly and without bias.
ZappyVue – No Bias, Just Brilliance!
A screening and hiring process that’s not just a lot faster, but also a whole lot fairer – this is what’s possible with ZappyVue!
Our innovative video interviewing platform tackles hiring bias head-on, ensuring every candidate gets a fair shot.
Ready to make a change? Sign up for ZappyVue in under 30 seconds and get instant access to the platform NOW!
