8 Steps for Hiring without Bias

As a recruiter or hiring manager, you’ve made it your mission to hire the best talent. But are you really hiring the best people for the job, or is hiring bias standing in your way?

Everyone has their own unconscious biases, it’s part of being human. The problem is that bias can negatively affect your recruitment and hiring. Bias makes it more difficult for candidates from underrepresented groups to get hired. You might be surprised to discover that your application and selection process unintentionally puts qualified women, immigrants, disabled people, LGBTQ2S people, and people from minority races at a disadvantage.

Remember, this isn’t completely on you – it’s your hiring process and you can fix it. The good news is there are many tools that can help remove bias from your recruitment process.

If you haven’t examined your hiring processes in a while, now is the perfect time. Check out the following tips for reducing bias in your hiring practice.

1. Acknowledge and address unconscious biases

First off, it’s important to acknowledge bias exists, you can’t move forward without addressing the problem. Educating hiring leaders and collaborators about these biases will not only help you check yourself and each other, but also build understanding about how and why programs are built. Encourage leaders and employees to take the free Harvard Implicit Association Tests online to discover their unique unconscious biases.

2. Build a case for DEI in your organization

DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiatives need to come from the top. Start with leadership buy-in by building a compelling case for why DEI is important for your business. What do you stand to gain, what do you stand to lose by not improving your processes? Research has shown a diverse and inclusive workplace delivers on higher revenue growth, increased innovation, and improved employee retention, so it’s kind of a no-brainer for leadership.

3. Set values and live by them

As an employer, it’s your responsibility to foster a workplace culture that values diversity, equity, and inclusion. Establish core values and integrate them into every aspect of your business. Ensure diversity and inclusion are reflected in your brand, assets (website, social media), and all your recruiting materials. Remember, this is the face of your business, and what happens in recruiting should be a direct reflection of your workplace.

4. Use gender-neutral language in job postings & content

Words are powerful and that’s why using gender-neutral titles in job descriptions and avoiding words like “rockstar,” “superhero,” “guru,” and “ninja” is important. These masculine-coded terms can inadvertently prevent women from reviewing or applying for the job.

Similarly, check your pronouns. When describing the tasks of the ideal candidate, avoid “she/he” and use “you.” Example: “As a Product Manager, you’ll be responsible for the product strategy.”

5. Be transparent about salary ranges in postings & interviews

Beyond being one of the first things candidates look for, disclosing a salary range can help to ensure every employee is being paid fairly – it shows that your company is committed to transparency and fairness. By being upfront you can save time and build trust into the interview process, minimize negotiation talks and focus on a candidate’s experience, skills, and potential.

Plus, employers who post salary ranges stand out and are considered to be more forward-thinking.

6. Remove hiring leaders from offer negotiations

When women negotiate their salaries, they often face negative long-term impacts, including fewer opportunities, missed promotions, and lower compensation. All because negotiations go against a stereotypical perception of likeability. To combat this, it’s best to set salary ranges with hiring leaders before job postings go live. This way, the hiring manager remains unaware of negotiations, (if negotiations happen at all), reducing the chance of unconscious bias toward the new hire.

7. Speak with current employees about their hiring experience

Talk to your current employees and current or recent past candidates about their candidate experience. How did they feel from the lens of DEI and reducing bias? What were the biggest challenges in their searches? Once you identify areas that have built-in biases, you can resolve them.

8. Monitor organizational data for trends & areas for improvement

Reducing bias means continuously monitoring organizational diversity data, collecting feedback from candidates, and identifying trends and clear areas for improvement. One of the metrics Avanti measures is negotiations. Who negotiates, what is their gender, and what’s the outcome? Another metric to closely follow is turnover that happens within six months of a new hire.