Minimizing the Influence of Unconscious Bias

One of the biggest reasons for employee turnover is that they just don’t fit within the company culture. Needless to say, it’s important then that hiring managers consider not only the qualifications for new hires but also their ability to fit within the already-established company culture.

Unfortunately, too much focus on company culture can lead to unintentional bias when hiring, and that also has ramifications, including missing out on fantastic talent for your company.

So how can you navigate the balance of being inclusive for qualified candidates while still being mindful of company culture?

Minimize Unconscious Bias for Your Hiring

Life experiences, background, and upbringing can all play a role in the fostering of unconscious bias. This makes it especially hard, even for good-

natured people, to eliminate its influence during the interview and hiring process. Thankfully, there are a few things that companies can do to minimize the impact of unconscious bias. Following this advice can help you make qualified hires that fit within your company culture, as well as staying inclusive.

Provide Staff Training

The best way to tackle unconscious bias is to make your staff aware of it in the first place. Raising awareness of it and its impact on everything from recruitment to workplace culture, to business success, will help people begin to combat it. There are both online and in-person workshops to help people identify and work through any unconscious bias they may have. They will also learn more about legal implications and strategies to create a more inclusive workplace.

Use Inclusive Job Descriptions

It makes perfect sense that another place to minimize unconscious bias in the hiring process is in the job description itself. Excessive, industry-specific jargon can deter highly skilled and qualified workers who are outside of the industry. This could mean that you miss out on star talent for no reason except word choices. You should also separate essential and required skills from desired or special skills. This can widen your pool of candidates who are still qualified but less likely to apply unless they meet every criteria.

Bring In Outside Hiring Perspectives

To have a more balanced and inclusive hiring process, consider bringing in outside hiring professionals to help with recruiting and interviews. They can create a shortlist of candidates as well as sitting in on the interviews for a more diverse perspective.