Whether conscious or unconscious, everyone has internal biases because of the brain’s natural inclination to detect patterns and associations about the world around us. These biases can be positive and exist to help us discern our environment, but when it comes to hiring diverse talent bias can be detrimental to companies looking to expand their workforce with the best talent. While more inclusive practices are being implemented into the workplace today, improving the hiring process–especially as it pertains to hiring diverse talent–must be continually addressed. For Greater Philadelphia to become a national model for learning, apprenticing, and working in the jobs of the future, removing bias from the hiring process needs to be a priority for our region’s business community.

Recruiters, hiring managers, and all those involved in an organization’s hiring process should understand that though bias cannot be removed entirely, there are ways to mitigate bias to further help diversify the workplace. This month, Lloyd Freeman, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC, addresses this issue by offering insight on how employers can ensure an inclusive hiring process while being sensitive to the business needs of their company.

First impressions are everything in the interview process–for both the hiring company and the job seeker. This is especially true for candidates from underrepresented groups. Underrepresented candidates are very much concerned with the work environment they are potentially joining and will look for tell-tale signs of genuine diversity and inclusion throughout the interview process.

That is why it is important for companies to consider the diversity of their interviewers–whether a single person or panel: “These individuals are the frontline representatives of the company and create the first impressions for interviewees. You cannot seek diversity if you do not promote it. A homogenous interview panel will undercut your serious commitment to diversity and likely turn off any candidates from underrepresented groups.”

Furthermore, top talent understands the value they can bring to an organization, and with so many competitive employment options, candidates are asking tough questions in interviews to assess companies’ inclusion. It is not merely enough to have diverse interviewers–companies must ensure that they are prepared to discuss their DE&I efforts and culture transparently to attract the best talent.

In their own effort to embed diversity, equity, and inclusion into its hiring strategies, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC utilizes training and auditing: “All of our interviewers must first attend an implicit bias workshop to understand how bias can impact the hiring process. Then, we prepare standardized questions for the interviewers to ask the candidates…As a corollary, our evaluations are also audited for bias. I sit on the hiring committee at Buchanan, and I ensure that certain words evincing a bias are not considered in our final evaluations.”

According to Freeman, a number of studies show that affinity bias–the desire to select people with whom you share similarities–is most common in interviews.  This can turn the interview away from a skills-based conversation to an affinity-based one, resulting in candidates mirroring interviewers, which does not particularly yield diversity. Weaponized phrases, as Freeman calls them, such as “a good fit” are antithetical to DE&I efforts because they demonstrate that a candidate fits into the existing culture, which just furthers homogeneity in the workplace. Interviewers should remain objective in their evaluation so that decision-makers are hiring the candidate(s) that fit best based on their skills and experience.

Lastly, employers should also prioritize maintaining equity as the workplace continues to evolve. Inclusion is often measured by whether employees feel valued and respected beyond the bottom line, and empathy and emotional intelligence play a major role in that. As we continue to navigate the new normal, employees’ needs will continue to shift and a uniform approach may not always be the best option. How companies accommodate their employees, especially working parents, caregivers, and those with medical conditions and religious exemptions will showcase how much they value the diversity of their workforce. We should work with employees to build custom solutions that will allow them flexibility while upholding productivity.

Freeman reminds us best: “Equity requires us to not give everyone the same tools, rather it seeks to give everyone the tools they need at that time…Creating equitable workplace solutions is the embodiment of true inclusion.”

Take Action

  • Teach interviewers and decision-makers about how bias can impact the hiring process and train them on how to mitigate those biases during interviews.
  • Do not just include diverse employees as interviewers but also prepare them to speak transparently about company DE&I efforts and culture with candidates.
  • Prioritize objectivity in your evaluation to ensure the best candidate(s) that fit based on their skills and experience are hired.
  • Practice emotional intelligence to find out what employees need to feel supported in order to create equitable workplace solutions.

As the Chamber continues our longstanding commitment to the fight for equality, we’re highlighting ways our business community can meaningfully increase diversity, equity, and inclusion to bring about lasting change in the workplace.

Through our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiative, we work to drive economic competitiveness, highlight diverse employee populations, and promote inclusive growth throughout our region.