While there are dozens of benefits to diversity hiring, many industries are still largely underrepresenting employees with different backgrounds.
Hiring diverse candidates can feel like hunting for treasure without a map. In other words, recruiters often struggle to find the best hire — and it’s easy to see why.
There are myriad obstacles to finding the perfect fit for your open position. For instance having to dig through hundreds, if not thousands of applications. To candidates who “stretch the truth” about their experience. There’s a lot of noise that can prevent you from finding those “hidden gems” – talented employees who will be successful with your organization.
Unfortunately, hidden gems also tend to be diverse, underrepresented candidates. Let’s discuss why that is. What you can do to improve. And how to change your hiring process to be less biased, more inclusive, and a better predictor of performance.
The “hidden gems” phenomenon
What do we mean when we talk about candidates we call “hidden gems”?
For instance, applicants who are well-qualified and perfectly suited to succeed at your company, but may fall through the cracks. And too often, these candidates are from underrepresented backgrounds. In addition, despite their great qualifications, there are a number of reasons why these candidates’ resumes are not immediately getting noticed.
First, the number of CVs recruiters have to sort through is overwhelming. Most statistics indicate that you spend an average of seven seconds reviewing each resume. It’s impossible to give each candidate the careful attention their application deserves.
Recruiters, therefore, rely on “heuristics”. Mental shortcuts to screen someone in or out, often rooted in bias. For instance, someone who went to the same university as the recruiter will be ‘in’, for example. Ruling someone who didn’t go to a recognizable school ‘out.
However, not everything is the recruiter’s fault.
Unconscious biases show up throughout the hiring process, influencing everything from the job description to the job offer. Designed to eliminate candidates as efficiently as possible, many of the steps in the hiring process are ill-conceived interview questions (“Tell me about yourself”) that don’t offer someone the chance to truly shine.
Overcoming bias in the hiring process
What if you could hire more diverse candidates and find talent who will have a significant impact on your business’s performance?
There is a way to do just that — and it starts with seeing the person behind the resume.
Skill assessments provide a way for a candidate to show their talent on questions that mimic the actual requirements of the position.
Train AI and machine learning to identify and elevate candidates with the right capabilities for your position. Automatic assessment grading and ranking of candidates means that you get one clear list of who is best qualified to move to the next stage and potentially join your team.
Ultimately, we believe that skills assessments are key to uncovering hidden gems in your hiring process and unlocking greater success at your organization. Skill assessment can also save you tons of time — and frustration — sifting through resumes to find that perfect employee.
Learn more about skill assessments with Vervoe.
