Applied

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1. Bias in recruitment: What the research tells us
2. How typical hiring processes can fall short
3. How Applied aims to tackle the problem

Bias in recruitment: What the research tells us

Whether we care to admit it or not, the way we interpret the world around us is shaped by implicit biases. These mental shortcuts often help us to make quick decisions in a busy world, but in the context of recruitment, they can perpetuate race, gender, and socioeconomic inequality.

Research has shown how important first impressions in interviews are: a meta-analysis found that our judgements of others are formed in as little as 30 seconds, and other studies have shown that a person’s initial non-verbal cues (i.e. handshake, smile, or the way they are dressed) can be predictive of whether they get a job offer.

Unfortunately for the well-meaning employer, simply thinking you’re objective is no guarantee your actions will bear that out.  Experiments have shown that simply changing the name on an application can significantly alter call-back rates, even for employers with a public commitment to equal opportunity.  Being a woman or from a minority background can be the equivalent of having years less experience, and research consistently illustrates the gains from certain universities or schools on your resume.

US, Canada and Australia involving sending fake resumes to real employers reveal that the response rates to otherwise identical applications can be up to 50% higher for White-sounding names. In the UK, that figure is just over 75%. Similar gender-based discrimination has been well documented, especially where the applicant’s characteristics are counter-stereotypical. A recent paper also indicates that signalling homosexuality is also detrimental to your job prospects. At the same time as unintentionally prejudicing others, humans also have a tendency to favour ‘in’ groups, which can mean hiring in an image.

These findings are particularly challenging because they relate to beliefs we hold unwittingly, and even for those who strive to be meritocratic, can be hard to overcome.

How typical hiring processes can fall short

Despite the consistency of these findings, most recruitment processes still operate on the traditional model of CV and cover letter, both of which foreground the gender, race, and oftentimes social class of the applicant, much of which is irrelevant to that person’s likely success in the role. This effect is reinforced by our behavioural tendency toward priming, that is, to let something we have seen or read surreptitiously affect subsequent experiences. In this case, it could be that where a candidate went to school subtly affects the way a reviewer reads the rest of his or her application, either positively or negatively.

Most well-intentioned organisations attempt to solve for this through unconscious bias training. Unfortunately the evidence on its effectiveness is mixed at best.

First, most of the available evidence on the impact of training on diversity outcomes relies on self-reported changes in behaviour. Self-reports can be subject to ‘social desirability bias’, or the tendency to report what we think is socially acceptable – in this case, that we’re less biased.

Second, converting training into sustainable changes in behaviour is notoriously challenging: some estimates suggest that as little as 10-20 per cent transfers to the job, even in the case of training aimed at job-specific performance improvement.

Third, a separate literature shows that well-intentioned anti-bias efforts can sometimes backfire; for example, experiments have shown participants’ behaviour can become more racially biased after self-identifying as being egalitarian.

Finally, training can be hugely expensive, relative to changing the way you hire.

How Applied aims to tackle the problem

Applied is a platform developed by the Behavioural Insights Team and Nesta which aims to make recruitment smart, fair and easy by putting good judgement at the heart of all hiring decisions. Three key behavioural insights lie at the heart of Applied:

Remove the risk of implicit bias Problem Names, ethnicities, and other personal information tell us nothing about how good a person is going to be. But, unconsciously, we all fall into traps when we see them, often making implicit assumptions about a person’s ‘fit’ for a job.   Solution Applied automatically blinds job applications to irrelevant information so that reviewers can concentrate on what really matters: candidates’ strengths. This means every applicant is given the best chance of success, regardless of their background.

Make it easy to fairly compare candidates Problem When reading applications from start to finish, information provided in one answer can influence the way a reviewer perceives subsequent answers. For example, a great answer to question 1 can create a ‘halo effect’ that inflates the perceived quality of the next one. Solution To make sure reviewers focus on the right things, Applied chunks up applications by question so reviewers judge each response in turn, not each candidate. Blinded horizontal comparison makes it easy for reviewers to identify the best responses and shields against impressionistic judgements. The tool then does the job of aggregating scores to deliver a more objective assessment of a candidate.

Harness collective intelligence Problem Reading large numbers of lengthy applications can be tiring and create excessive cognitive load. This often results in reviewers taking shortcuts. It can also result in getting candidates that reflect just one person’s view of the world. Our experiments have shown that working on their own, individuals have anywhere between a 16 and a 50 per cent chance of inadvertently rejecting the best candidate. Solution Through our research, we’ve found that by simply asking three people for their opinion, you significantly improve the judgemental accuracy of your hiring decisions. Harnessing the wisdom of the crowd can minimise risk, shares ownership amongst the team, and makes for more resilient hiring decisions.

At the same time as containing the best of what we know from the behavioural science literature, Applied has also been built to ease the administrative burdens of recruitment. This leaves HR managers to concentrate on the parts of the process that really matter.

To find out more, check out our website: https://www.beapplied.com.