Is so-called ‘blind hiring’ a blessing or a curse when it comes to DEI?
Does ‘blind hiring’ actually work?* Is it possible to simply remove identifiable details from a CV or job application and, in doing so, reduce bias in your hiring process? What does an inclusive recruitment process look like in practice?
Recently, I sat down with Charlotte Melkert - brilliant CEO of Equalture, Forbes 30 under 30 recipient, and hugely respected peer in the DEI space - to talk about so-called ‘blind hiring’; the pros, the cons, and everything in between.
In this video you will learn:
The origins of ‘blind hiring’ as a practice, its efficacy, as well as the ableist connotations of the term (‘anonymised’ is a good alternative to ‘blind’ in this context)
How anonymising CVs as a standalone solution to your organisation’s hiring bias serves to simply push discrimination further down the funnel, rather than eliminate it altogether
Practical steps you can take to increase fairness and equity in your hiring process; from sourcing, right through to offer stage
The importance of focusing on not only hiring process, but working culture (attracting high calibre, diverse talent is one thing - retaining that talent means consistently living by the values you publicly espouse)
*’Blind hiring’ commonly refers to the practice of anonymising CVs (removing key personal details), in order to reduce discrimination in the recruitment process. We acknowledge that - despite being the most widespread way to refer to this hiring approach - using the descriptor ‘blind’ in this way has ableist connotations, and we address the issue of normalisation of ableist language upfront in our conversation.
