When it comes to equitable and inclusive hiring, many companies are missing the mark.
Having spent majority of my career working on the “people side” of business, and consulting organizations that range from Fortune 500s to early stage start-ups, it’s clear that most hiring processes have ample room for improvement.
The hiring process is one of the first opportunities for prospective employees to formulate an opinion about your organization. For candidates from historically excluded groups (e.g. – Black & Brown folks, people with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ folks, etc.), this first experience with a prospective employer is especially important.
They’re evaluating your culture and asking questions like: “Can I be myself here?”, “Does the organization truly have my well-being in mind?”, “Are our values aligned?”
Remember, in the same way you’re learning about the candidate, they’re learning about you, too! If you’re ready to revamp your hiring process to ensure it’s more equitable and inclusive – all while prioritizing the candidate experience – check out the 3 practical tips below.
Tip #1 : Inclusive Language Matters!
Job descriptions are often the candidate’s first insight into the company’s culture, and research shows non-inclusive language in job descriptions reduces the diversity of the application pool.Reassess your job descriptions to ensure all qualified candidates feel they belong.
What to Prioritize…
- Use the following tools here & here to remove gendered language from the job description and incorporate gender-fluid language where possible (e.g., replacing “he/she” with “they/them”)
- Incorporate your core values into your job descriptions! Candidates are looking for value alignment, so make sure you highlight who you are as a company.
- Use a critical lens when determining what elements of the job description are required and which are preferred. Ask yourself and the hiring manager what skills can be learned. For example, is a specific undergraduate major necessary? Or, is “5” years of experience actually required?
What to Avoid…
- Avoid language that discourages workers age 50 and older such as “Calling all recent college grads!” and instead use “entry-level position.”
- Avoid language that discourages disabled workers such as “walks throughout the building” and instead use “moves throughout the building.”
- Avoid use of idioms that may not translate globally e.g., “take the bull by the horns” or “calling all rockstars!”
- Avoid use of “minority” and instead use “historically excluded/historically marginalized group(s)”, “marginalized groups”, or “candidates from underrepresented backgrounds.”
Tip #2 : Standardize Interview Questions & Create a Rubric for Response Ratings
In the absence of standardization and proper training, an interview can quickly become a personality contest, resulting in the hiring team making decisions based on “gut feel.” Talk about bias!
While building rapport and connection with the candidate is important, it shouldn’t supersede the priority of standardizing interview questions and using a clear rubric to evaluate responses. Here are a few things you can do
- Create a standardized set of interview questions. Types of questions should include: core competency focused questions, behavioral questions, and company core values focused questions.
- It can be helpful to assign your interviewers specific sections of the questions (i.e. specific values, behaviors) to focus on. Remind interviewers to review their questions ahead of time, and if two or more interviewers are in one session, ask them to connect beforehand to decide who will be asking which questions.
- Skip the brain teaser questions (i.e. how do you unload a dishwasher?) unless the objective is clear. These questions can often just be used to intimidate interviewees.
- Create a standardized and comprehensive rating scale list that includes example responses to depict each rating (e.g., response example that “Meets expectations”).
- Where possible, include opportunities for interviewers to add context (i.e. open text box) to describe why they rated the way they did.
Authors Note: When challenged to diversify their candidate pool, companies will often say they’re looking for “the most qualified candidate”. This sentiment, even when well intentioned, can often serve as coded language that infers POCs are inherently less capable. This is especially true when “qualifications” are based on the prominence of a candidate’s previous company, the prestige of the university they attended, etc. It’s important to acknowledge that many Black & brown folks have been historically and systemically excluded from those spaces. Therefore, the lack of access and subsequently, lack of “esteemed credentials” might be more reflective of institutional barriers and less indicative of talent, skills and qualifications. Even with top tier credentials, candidates from underrepresented groups still tend to experience more scrutiny during the hiring process!
Focusing on the core competencies and core functions of a role instead of giving preferential treatment for societally “elite” qualifications is one intentional way to begin reducing qualification barriers and begin leveling the playing field.
TL;DR: There is no pipeline problem. It’s on you to make your organization accessible.
Tip #3 : Prioritize the Debrief
As part of the interview process, schedule a debrief for the full hiring team to gather feedback on candidates once the interview loop is complete.
This can be as quick as a 15-20 minute scrum where live feedback is shared and questions can be asked by the hiring manager and HR team. The goal of this conversation is to provide feedback on the candidates and discuss any high points or potential concerns. It can also serve as an opportunity to check and call out any bias that might have influenced one’s perspective on the client.
Please note that this conversation should go beyond a “vibe check” or “gut feeling.” Ask interviewers to bring clear rationale and specific examples where the candidate did or did not meet/exceed expectations. This important step also allows you the opportunity to identify any gaps or areas of improvement in the existing hiring process.
Oh, and for goodness sake, CLOSE THE LOOP WITH CANDIDATES!
There’s not much that feels worse than investing ample time and energy into an entire interview process only to be ghosted in the end. Whether they landed the gig or not, let them know. It’s common courtesy, and could determine whether they leave as an advocate or antagonist.
If you or your organization is looking for a partner to support your DEI efforts or training your hiring team on how to improve your processes, let’s chat: hello@thecouragecollective.co. Also, if you’re looking to connect with candidates from historically excluded groups, check out BOUNDLESS! A brand designed to connect Black and Brown folks with gigs in marketing, consulting and tech.
About the Courage Collective
The Courage Collective is a consultancy that takes a strategic, holistic, and human-centered approach to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in the workplace. Our approach prioritizes courage, empathy and intentional action to create meaningful and lasting impact across the entire employee journey. More information on The Courage Collective’s approach and services is available at thecouragecollective.co.
