Your company strives to have a diverse and inclusive workforce. But unfortunately, haphazard recruiting practices can derail your efforts. Here’s how a structured hiring process can promote inclusivity.
Why Structured Hiring Promotes Inclusivity
- You’ll Write Better Job Descriptions
Did you know you may be chasing candidates away with job descriptions? Certainly, terms like “salesman” and “tradesman” slant toward male candidates. However, other times word choice is more subtle. For example, “analytical” and “confident” are commonly used to describe men, while “compassionate” and “energetic” are used for women. (Harvard Business Review, 2018). Rather than whipping up a summary full of biased phrases, a structured writing process allows you to begin with inclusive language. - You’ll Focus on Qualifications
You may think you are assessing applications solely on qualifications. But is this true? A 2004 study found resumes with white-sounding names were downloaded 17% more often than resumes with black-sounding names. (ABC News, 2004) And other factors, like age, schools attended and geographic location may unconsciously impact your judgments too. Fortunately, a structured process helps you review applications more objectively. In fact, many HR tools have blind resume reviews built into their systems. - You’ll Run More Effective Interviews
A candidate walks into your office. You had some interview questions around here somewhere. While you’re looking for them, you start to chat. This guy is a kayaker… just like you. Plus, he’s nicely dressed and looks the part. Wow! You just found your next employee! The only problem is you fell victim to several biases. As a result, you decided the candidate was a great fit before you even began to look at his skill set. A structured interview process, with standardized questions, provides guidelines so you evaluate interviewees objectivity not based on your personal preferences.
Why Structured Hiring = Better Results
Ultimately, an informal or gut instinct hiring process often results in homogenous hiring. Your company brings in people whom you envision in the role instead of the people who would perform best. Therefore, structured hiring not only promotes inclusivity but also, it’s a smarter business tactic.
Is Your Company Trying to Revamp Your Hiring Process to Promote Inclusivity?
BOS Staffing would be happy to help! We place diverse and talented employees with top companies in Atlanta, Georgia and beyond. Our recruiters use advanced technology, skill assessments and a standardized process to find the top people for the job. Learn more about the benefits of hiring through BOS Staffing today!
