Singapore – Businesses adopting blind recruitment to eliminate unconscious bias and improve diversity

By memberservices@staffingindustry.com (Danny Romero)

Many organisations in Singapore are adopting blind recruitment techniques in an effort to help eliminate unconscious bias, according to international recruitment firm Hays.

Blind recruitment involves omitting personally identifiable information, such as name, gender, age and education, from applicant CVs. The aim is to overcome unconscious bias during the recruitment process, which can be counterproductive to a strategy to improve workplace diversity.

“Everyone has unconscious bias,” Yvonne Smyth, Head of Diversity at Hays, said. “When it comes to any kind of selection at key points in careers, which could be recruitment, promotion, being put forward for a new project, even giving feedback, this can influence the shape of someone’s career and the opportunities they have.

“The Blind recruitment technique can help organisations ensure a diverse flow of talent into their selection process,” Lynne Roeder, Managing Director of Hays in Singapore, said. “It can also boost your employment brand since jobseekers say they have the opportunity to better position their strengths in an interview.”

Lynne stated that if organisations are to maximise the benefits of a blind recruitment strategy, managers need to be aware of their own unconscious biases and, through training, learn to recognise and better manage them at key points of judgement and selection.

“Generally speaking, making CVs more blind than they currently are is a good thing because it does help mitigate bias” Smyth said. “However, blind recruitment is not a silver bullet, neither absolutely right nor absolutely wrong. It is a tool that you can use to create a level playing field, so use it, but use it with caution.”

Source:: Singapore – Businesses adopting blind recruitment to eliminate unconscious bias and improve diversity