Written by Nathan Hewitt
Think unconscious bias training is the answer? Read this first.
What every business needs to know about unconscious bias in hiring
Is unconscious bias holding your business back? When it comes to building your team, it’s easy to fall into a pattern of choosing a candidate who seems like a good ‘cultural fit’.
But what if that means you’re missing out on a candidate who would be a great ‘cultural add’? Or the candidate that’s actually the perfect fit for the role and the team. When you make an effort to overcome bias and cultivate a workplace that values diversity – of background, experience, world view and so many more attributes – you’ll cultivate a workplace that’s not just great for your team, it’s great for your business too.
Hiring on a gut feeling that someone will be a good fit for the team is just one indication that your decision has probably been influenced by unconscious bias. Don’t be alarmed, it’s more common than you think. In fact, we all have unconscious bias and we are all affected by it.
Bias can be easy to see in other people.
You might observe it in the way someone treats or talks about others, or perhaps you’ve been at the uncomfortable end of bias yourself. When it comes to recognising our own ‘built-in’ biases, however, it can be challenging. And that’s why they call it unconscious.
Unconscious bias training has become not just a buzzword but a big business in itself. In this article, we explore the big questions around bias: What is unconscious bias? How does it impact the hiring process? Can unconscious bias be defeated? If you’ve already jumped to your own conclusions on those questions, that’s unconscious bias too!
We need to talk about bias
Since the first humans gathered around campfires, bias has existed.
It is simply the way we feel in favour of something – an idea, a thing, a person or group – or how we feel against that something. Bias usually suggests that these feelings are judgemental, unfair or discriminatory.
Bias is about making assumptions, stereotyping or a fear of the unknown. It can be innate or it can be learned and unconscious bias is created and reinforced by our personal experiences, our cultural background and environment. Bias can be of little consequence – I hate broccoli – or potentially very damaging – I hate {insert name here!}.
Why does unconscious bias matter in the hiring process?
The objective of overcoming bias in the workplace is creating a work environment where every employee can feel that the workplace is welcoming, safe and free from discrimination, harassment or unfair treatment. While that may sound ‘warm and fuzzy’, diverse and inclusive workplaces can help lift employee satisfaction, boost engagement and productivity and enhance the reputation of your business as a great employer. It can also lower your exposure to potential legal action from unfair or unjust employment practices.
The most common types of unconscious bias in the workplace
When it comes to hiring, there are some biases that are more common than others. Some need no explanation – gender bias, ageism, racism, name bias – however psychologists and researchers have identified over 150 types of bias that impact the way we engage and interact with others. Here, we look at just a few. Chances are you’ve let one or more of these biases influence your decisions and, as a result, missed out on a perfect candidate.
Confirmation bias – where an opinion is formed quickly on a single detail (bad suit, good school) and the interviewer ‘fills in’ their own assessment of the candidate with questions that they believe confirm or justify their initial impression or judgement.
Overconfidence bias – can be closely connected to confirmation bias, when the recruiter lets their confidence in their own ability choose the best candidate in the way of objective assessment.
Illusory correlation – where a recruiter believes certain questions are revealing insights about the candidate that actually don’t exist or are not relevant to their ability to perform in a role.
Beauty Bias – this one speaks for itself. Will a great looking person necessarily be the most successful choice for the role? The simple answer? No.
Conformity bias – this bias can occur with group assessments when recruiters fall in with the majority even if their opinion about a candidate differs. Peer pressure can have a lot to answer for.
Contrast effect – also called judgement bias, this is where a candidate is compared with the resume and candidate that went before, rather than being reviewed on their own skills and merit against the requirements of the role.
How are you scoring in bias roulette?!
Here’s some more:
Affect heuristics – this unconscious bias sounds very scientific, but it’s one that’s being a very human survival mechanism throughout history. It’s simply about making snap judgements on someone’s ability to do a job based on superficial and irrelevant factors and your own preconceptions – someone’s appearance, tattoos, the colour of their lipstick.
Similarity attraction – where hirers can fall into the trap of essentially hiring themselves; candidates with whom they share similar traits, interests or backgrounds. They may be fun to hang out with, but maybe not the best match for the job or building diversity.
Affinity bias – so you went to the same school, followed the same football team and maybe know the same people. That’s nice, but is it really of any relevance to the hiring decision?
Expectation anchor – where the hirer is stuck on what’s possibly an unrealistic preconception of what and who the candidate should be
Halo effect – Your candidate is great at one thing, so that means they’re great at everything else, right? Judging candidates on one achievement or life experience doesn’t make up for a proper assessment of their qualifications and credentials
Horn effect – It’s the devil’s work. The opposite of the halo effect where one negative answer or trait darkens the hirer’s judgement and clouds the assessment process.
Intuition – going with that gut feeling again? While the emotional and intellectual connection may come into the process, it’s largely irrelevant. Focus on their actual experience and capabilities instead.
Can unconscious bias be eliminated? Can bias be unlearned?
In an ideal world, every hire would be approached in an objective way, free of unconscious basis and based on the candidate’s ability to do the job well. However, we don’t live in that perfect world and, time and time again, bias can cloud our judgement and lead to the wrong recruitment decisions. So what can we do? Let’s first talk about what doesn’t work.
Why unconscious bias training does not work
The efforts of any business to drive affirmative change in their business are to be respected. However, there’s a very good reason why unconscious bias training simply can’t work. Why?
Because unconscious bias is a universal and inherently human condition. Training targets individuals and their well-worn attitudes and world views.
While awareness and attitudes may change, inherent bias will remain because that’s the human condition.
So if humans can’t solve a very human problem, what can? Sapia is challenging the issue of unconscious bias in hiring by promoting ‘top-of-funnel’ screening that entirely avoids humans and their bias. Instead, candidates are interviewed and assessed through automation and algorithms. The data that trains the machine is continuously tested so that if ever the slightest bias is found, it can be corrected.
According to an Article Published By Fast Company:
(Ref. https://www.fastcompany.com/90515678/science-explains-why-unconscious-bias-training-wont-reduce-workplace-racism-heres-what-will)
From a scientific perspective, there are reasons to be cautious that unconscious bias training will have a significant impact on racism, sexism, and other forms of workplace discrimination.
1. MOST BIASES ARE CONSCIOUS RATHER THAN UNCONSCIOUS
Contrary to what unconscious bias training programs would suggest, people are largely aware of their biases, attitudes, and beliefs, particularly when they concern stereotypes and prejudices. Such biases are an integral part of their self and social identity.
2. THERE IS ONLY A WEAK RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS
Contrary to popular belief, our beliefs and attitudes are not strongly related to our behaviours. There is rarely more than 16% overlap (correlation of r = 0.4) between attitudes and behavior, and even lower for engagement and performance, or prejudice and discrimination.
3. THERE IS NO ACCURATE WAY TO MEASURE UNCONSCIOUS BIAS
The closest science has come to measuring unconscious biases is via so-called Implicit Association Tests (IAT), like Harvard’s racism or sexism test. (Over 30 million people have taken it, and you can try it for free here. These have come under significant academic criticism for being weak predictors of actual behaviours. For example, on race questions (black vs. white), the reported meta-analytic correlations range from 0.15 to 0.24.
4. IT’S HARD TO CHANGE PEOPLE’S BELIEFS, ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY DON’T WANT TO
The hardest thing to influence through any D&I initiative is how people feel about concepts such as gender or race. Systematic reviews of diversity training concluded: “The positive effects of diversity training rarely last beyond a day or two, and a number of studies suggest that it can activate bias or spark a backlash.”
Algorithms do the job humans can’t
Using machines and artificial intelligence to augment and challenge decisions is fast becoming mainstream across many applications and industries. To reduce the impact of unconscious bias in hiring decisions, testing for bias and removing it using algorithms is possible. With humans, it’s not.
Sappia tackles bias by screening and evaluating candidates with a simple open, transparent interview via a text conversation. Candidates know text and trust text.
Unlike other Ai Hiring Tools, Sapia has no video hookups and no visual content. No CVs.
All of these factors carry the risk that unconscious bias can come into play. Nor is data extracted from social channels as our solution is designed to provide every candidate with a great experience that respects and recognises them as the individual they are.
A better experience for candidates, recruiters and clients alike
A research study by The Ladders found that recruiters only spend about 6 seconds looking at a resume. With bulk-hiring, it’s probably less. That’s 6 seconds to make or break a candidate’s hope.
Sapia’s AI-based screening comes into to its own with high volume briefs, with the capability to conduct unlimited interviews in a single hour/day, assessing >85 factors – from personality traits to language fluency and other valuable talent insights. Candidates receive personalised feedback, coaching tips for their next interview and faster decisions on their progress in the hiring process.
Sapia is not out to replace human recruiters but we are here to work as your co-pilot, helping you to make smarter, faster and unbiased hiring decisions.
Understand where unconscious bias has held your business back
AI-enabled enabled interviewing and assessment also tracks and measures bias at a micro level so businesses can understand the level and type of bias that may previously have influenced decisions. With candidate and client satisfaction rated 95%+, it’s a game-changer for changing behaviours.
Hiring’s a team sport and we’re rewriting the rules
The ability to measure unconscious bias is just one more reason to use AI-based screening tools over traditional processes.
Everyone has a story that’s bigger than their CV.
Sapia gives every candidate an opportunity to tell theirs. Through our engaging, non-threatening process where unconscious bias can be taken out of the equation (literally!), we will help you get to the best candidates sooner.
You’ll get a shortlist of candidates with the right traits and values for your business so you can move ahead to interviews with confidence and clarity. With time and resources saved on upfront screening, your team can concentrate on making the interviewing stage more rewarding for hirers and candidates alike.
With Sapia, you can soon be on your way to building more diverse, inclusive and happier workplaces. We know we can work for your business, so we’d love to work with your business. Let’s talk.
Have you seen the Inclusive e-Book? It offers a pathway to fairer hiring in 2021.
Get diversity and inclusion right whilst hiring on time and on budget. In this Inclusivity e-Book, you’ll learn:
- How to design an inclusive recruitment path. From discovery to offer and validation of the process.
- The hidden inclusion challenges that are holding your organisation back.
- How to tell if Ai technology is ethical.
Download Inclusivity Hiring e-Book Here >
Related
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Artificial intelligence will decide if you get an interview for your next job
To find out how to improve candidate experience using Recruitment Automation, we also have a great eBook on candidate experience.
By Jennifer Hewett, Australian Financial Review, 31 January
The online questionnaire wants to know whether I respect and comply with authority. I get five options – strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree or strongly disagree. I tick “neutral”. Well sort of, sometimes, I think to myself.
Same choice for whether I am good at finding fault with what’s around me at work. I tick “neutral” again, guiltily acknowledging it’s just possible my editor might have a different opinion about whether I am far too good at that particular skill.
The choice seems less ambiguous when I am asked whether I forget to put things back in their proper place. I hover over “strongly agree” or “agree” and tick the latter – perhaps a little optimistically.
And on it goes for 90 questions, with slight variations in the possible answers, as devised by an AI (artificial intelligence) algorithm. My responses to the bot will determine whether I get to the next stage of actually being interviewed for a job by a real person. AI approves who you should interview
I soon get an encouraging email from Michael Morris, chief executive of Employsure – a company which provides advice on workplace relations and health and safety issues to small businesses. If I ever give up journalism, Morris tells me, I can try for a new career at Employsure. AI has approved me. Despite my deep scepticism about the process, I can’t help but feel a little pleased by the bot’s assessment.
That is because my rather self-serving answers to random personality questions fit those of the best performers at Employsure. There’s no possibility of ageism or sexism or any other latest “ism” influencing that. No old schoolmates or university or sporting framework, no biases about looks or clothes or mannerisms or personal history.
Instead, I participated in what is a variation on a personality test – based on the algorithmic analysis provided by another company, Sapia, operating in Europe and Australia and with 20 clients.
Morris says Employsure tested the performance of employees selected by Sapia’s algorithm against the choices of Employsure’s own human recruitment team for much of last year.
The fast-growing company hired around 450 people in 2018 with a workforce now totalling more than 800. Morris wanted good people and those more likely to stay.
A significant difference with AI
The experience convinced him that rather than using more traditional CVs to screen applicants, it was worth paying Sapia for its AI technology as Employsure continues to expand its numbers this year. Employsure now only interviews the 10-15 per cent of those who are graded “yes” or “maybe” by the bot.
“The overlay of AI made a significant difference in overall performance, productivity and tenure,” Morris says. “And it means the recruitment team can have a head start on engaging in better conversations with those who have interviews.” This is still a distinct minority view among Australian businesses which have been generally reluctant to embrace the promise of AI when it comes to hiring.
Read: The Ultimate Guide to Interview Automation
The trend to make greater use of AI in business generally is inevitable and accelerating. Just consider all those online “conversations” we now have about customer service and products as the ever-patient bot nudges us this way and that.
Just as inevitably, it is leading to community concerns about whether AI will be used to replace too many people’s jobs. According to a study by the McKinsey Global Institute, intelligent agents and robots could eliminate as much as 30 per cent of human labour by 2030. The scale would dwarf the move away from agricultural labour during the 1900s in the United States and Europe.
Of course, the record of technology shifts over centuries always ending up creating many more other types of jobs does not completely soothe fears that this time it’s different. Even if such alarm is overstated, dramatic changes in technology can certainly prove socially and economically disruptive for long periods. AI can also be scary.
But this version of AI is more about filling new jobs more efficiently. Many large global companies already use it to filter job applicants, especially those coming in at lower levels. Its advocates argue it efficiently eliminates bias or the tendency for people to hire in their own image.
Immediate payback with AI
Not that this always goes smoothly – even for the most digitally sophisticated businesses. Amazon abandoned its own AI hiring tool last October when management realised it had only introduced more bias into the process. Its AI system was based on modelling the CVs of those already at the company – who tended to be male. Naturally, that made prospective hires more likely to be male too. So much for gender-diversity targets.
Sapia’s chief executive is Barb Hyman, formerly a human resources executive for the online real estate advertising company REA Group. She says the system doesn’t work for those companies that don’t measure the performance of their existing employees but the data becomes more and more accurate as more information is added.
By matching responses of applicants against only those employees who are already doing well, it can be extremely efficient with immediate payback – especially for larger companies. The data can also be used to change the culture in an organisation by screening the types of personalities who are hired.
Not surprisingly, Hyman says the data demonstrates how different personalities are better fitted to different sorts of roles. So those who do well in caring jobs tend to be reliable and demonstrate traits of modesty and humility. Good salespeople are focused, somewhat self-absorbed, disorganised and transactional. Those who are involved in building long-term business relationships need to be more adaptable, resilient and open.
Sounds more like common sense than AI. But there’s less and less of that around anywhere. AI beckons instead.
Blog
AI makes resumes redundant. Now it’s disrupting your interviews
Previously, I’ve written about how the world of recruitment has evolved.
It seems that using AI could consign fantastical or over-optimised resumes to the dustbin of history, along with the Rolodex and fax machines.
But how do we go about selecting the perfect (or as close to perfect as possible) candidates from AI-created shortlists?
It should be so easy to learn how to conduct an interview that adds the human element to the AI selection. The web is awash with opportunities to earn recruitment qualifications from a variety of bodies, both respected and dubious. There are so many manuals, guides and blog-posts on the best ways of interviewing. People have been interviewing people for hundreds of years.
And yet…
Why are there no perfect interviews?
We’ve all heard about bizarre interview questions (no explanation needed). We’ve felt the pain of people caught up in interview nightmares (from both sides of the desk). And we’ve scratched our heads and noses over the blogs on body language in face-to-face interviews(bias klaxon).
Even without the extremes, people have tales to tell. Did you ever come away from an interview for your ideal job, where something just felt wrong?
It’s clear that adding human interaction to the recruitment process is by no means straightforward. Highlighting these recurring problems doesn’t solve the underlying question, which is:
“We’ve used an algorithm to better identify suitable candidates. How do we ensure that adding the crucial human part of hiring doesn’t re-introduce the very biases that the algorithm filtered out?”
Start by asking better questions
Searching for “Perfect interview Questions” gives 167,000,000 results. Many of them include the Perfect Answers to match. So it’s not simply about asking questions that, once upon a time, were reckoned to extract truthful and useful responses.
Instead we want questions that will make the best of that human interaction, building on and exploring the reasons the algorithm put these candidates on the list. Our questions need to help us achieve the ultimate goal of the interview: finding a candidate who can do the job, fit with the company culture AND stay for a meaningful period of time.
It’s generally agreed that we get better interview answers by asking open questions. I’d expand on that. They should ideally be questions that don’t relate specifically to the candidate’s resume, or only at the highest level, to get an in-depth understanding.
We should try to avoid using leading questions that will give an astute candidate any clues to the answers we’re looking for. And we should probably steer clear of most, if not all, of the questions that appear on those lists of ‘Perfect Interview Questions’, knowing that some candidates will reach for a well-practised ‘Perfect Answer’. We want them to display their understanding of the question and knowledge of the subject matter. Not their ability to recall a pre-rehearsed answer.
And so, we need to remember that we’re looking for the substance of the answers we get, not the candidate’s ability to weave the flimsiest material into an enchanting story.
Five new interview questions to ask your AI-shortlisted candidates
So, here are some possible questions to get you thinking.
- We use an algorithm as part of our hiring process to ensure we’re not missing the right candidates. Considering everything you know about us and this rlie, why do you think the algorithm has suggested you might be a good hire?
- If asked, what would your colleagues in your current or previous role say about your work-related exchanges with them?
- Tell me about any of your previous personal or career achievements that you feel relate to this role
- We strive to be as diverse and inclusive as possible. Tell me about the places where you’ve most enjoyed working and the communication styles of people you’ve worked best with. Please expand on your reasons
- Can you recall a time you’ve needed to make a business decision with incomplete information? How did you move forward?
Of course, you’ll need to frame and adjust those questions to match the role and your company.
How AI for HR helps interviews – and interviewers – get closer to perfection
AI equips recruiters with impartial insights that resumes, questionnaires and even personality profiles can’t provide. Well-constructed, supervised algorithms overlook all the biases that every human has. And that can only be a good thing.
Statistically robust AI uses an algorithm, derived from business performance and behavioural science, to shortlist candidates. It can predict which ones will do well, fit well and stay. We can trust it to know what makes a successful employee, for our particular organisation and this specific role. It can tell us to invest effort with the applicants on that shortlist. However unlikely they seem at first glance.
So we can use all of our knowledge and skills to understand a candidate’s suitability and look beyond things that might have previously led us to a rejection.
AI is the recruiter’s friend, not a competitor. It can stop us wasting time chasing candidates who we think will make great hires but instead fail to live up to the expectation. And it can direct us to the hidden gems we might have otherwise overlooked.
Technology like AI for HR is only a threat if you ignore it.
Don’t be that company that still swears by dated processes because that’s the way it’s always been done. The opportunity here is putting technology to work, helping your organisation evolve for the better. The longer the delay, the harder it will be. So don’t be left at the back playing catch-up.
There are very few businesses these days that communicate by fax machines – and that’s for a reason. In a few years, you’ll look back and wonder “Why didn’t we all embrace Artificial Intelligence sooner?”
Blog
Cornerstone + Sapia = Faster, fairer hiring
Our colleagues at Cornerstone are wizards at recruitment. They help organisations streamline hiring, so they can find the best people. Now, you can take Cornerstone ATS further and get ahead by adding Sapia’s interview automation for even faster, fairer and better hiring results.
Remove hiring complexity
There’s a lot expected of recruiters these days and it isn’t easy! From attracting candidates from diverse backgrounds to delivering an exceptional candidate experience, all whilst selecting from thousands of candidates.
The fantastic news is that technology has advanced to support recruiters. Integrating Sapia artificial intelligence technology with the powerful Cornerstone ATS facilitates a fast, fair, efficient recruitment process that candidates truly enjoy.
You can now:
- Reduce your screening time by up to 90%
- Increase your candidate satisfaction to near 100%
- Achieve interview completion rates over 90%
- And reduce screening bias for good
Sapia + Cornerstone
Gone are the days of screening CVs, followed by phone screens to find the best talent. The number of people applying for each job has grown 5-10 times in size recently. Reading each CV is simply no longer an option. In any case, the attributes that are markers of a high performer often aren’t in CVs and the risk of increasing bias is high.
You can now streamline your Cornerstone process by integrating Sapia’s interview automation with Lumesse.
We’ve created a quick, easy and fair hiring process that candidates love.
- Create a vacancy in Cornerstone, and a Sapia interview link will be created.
- Include the link in your advertising. Every candidate will have an opportunity to complete a FirstInterview via chat.
- See results as soon as candidates complete their interview. Each candidate’s scores, rank, personality assessment, role-based traits and communication skills are available as soon as they complete the interview. Every candidate will receive automated, personalised feedback.
By sending out one simple interview link, you nail speed, quality and candidate experience in one hit.
Integrate Cornerstone and get ahead
Sapia’s award-winning chat Ai is available to all Cornerstone users. You can automate interviewing, screening, ranking and more, with a minimum of effort! Save time, reduce bias and deliver an outstanding candidate experience.
Experience the Sapia Chat Interview for yourself
The interview that all candidates love
As unemployment rates rise, it’s more important than ever to show empathy for candidates and add value when we can. Using Sapia, every single candidate gets a FirstInterview through an engaging text experience on their mobile device, whenever it suits them. Every candidate receives personalised MyInsights feedback, with helpful coaching tips which candidates love.
Together, Sapia and Cornerstone deliver an approach that is:
- Relevant—move beyond the CV to the attributes that matter most to you: grit, curiosity, accountability, critical thinking, agility and communication skills
- Respectful—give every single person an interview and never ghost a candidate again
- Dignified—show you value people’s time by providing every single applicant personal feedback
- Fair—avoid video in the first round interviews and take an approach that’s 100% blind to gender, age, ethnicity and other irrelevant attributes
- Familiar—text chat interviewing is not only highly efficient, it’s also familiar to people of all ages
There are thousands of comments just like this …
“I have never had an interview like this in my life and it was really good to be able to speak without fear of judgment and have the freedom to do so.
The feedback is also great. This is a great way to interview people as it helps an individual to be themselves.
The response back is written with a good sense of understanding and compassion.
I don’t know if it is a human or a robot answering me, but if it is a robot then technology is quite amazing.”
Take it for a 2-minute test drive here >
Recruiters love using artificial intelligence in hiring
Recruiters love the TalentInsights Sapia surface in Lumesse as soon as each candidate finishes their interview.
Together, Sapia and Cornerstone deliver an approach that is:
- Fast—Ai-powered scores and rankings make shortlisting candidates quicker
- Insightful—Deep dive into the unique personality and other traits of each candidate
- Fair—Candidates are scored and ranked on their responses. The system is blind to other attributes and regularly checked for bias.
- Streamlined—Our stand-alone LiveInterview mobile app makes arranging assessment centres easy. Automated record-keeping reduces paperwork and ensures everyone is fairly assessed.
- Time-saving—Automating the first interview screening process and second-round scheduling delivers 90% time savings against a standard recruiting process.
Don’t believe us? Read the reviews!
See Recruiter Reviews here >
HR Directors and CHROs love reliable bias tracking
Well-intentioned organisations have been trying to shift the needle on the bias that impacts diversity and inclusion for many years, without significant results.
Together, Sapia and Cornerstone deliver an approach that is:
- Measurable—DiscoverInsights, our operations dashboard that provides clear reporting on recruitment, including pipeline shortlisting, candidate experience and bias tracking.
- Competitive—The Sapia and Cornerstone experience is loved by candidates, ensuring you’ll attract the best candidates, and hire faster than competitors.
- Scalable—Whether you’re hiring one hundred people, or one thousand, you can hire the best person for the job, on time, every time.
- Best-in-class—Sapia easily integrates with Cornerstone to provide you with a best-in-class AI-enabled HRTech stack.