Hopefully you’ve spent some time this past week reflecting on your recruiting process, including asking yourself the series of questions we outlined in our last blog. In it we presented how employers can look at their own recruiting practices in order to reveal the implicit biases that may be limiting the potential for an equitable workplace.

Now that you may have uncovered an undesirable recruiting method, you may be wondering how to recruit in the fairest way possible. The following is a list of techniques that can help your business find the best candidate for a position without sacrificing objectivity in the process.

Recruiting tactics that support equity

1. Block out names of applicants on applications, as well as their address, the names of educational institutions, and dates that may suggest their age.
2. About those applications: consider removing questions about hobbies and/or interests as they may reveal applicant’s religious or political affiliations. While we are certainly interested in the lives of applicants, we’re looking to ensure that what they do in their free time does not hinder the interviewers ability to decide if an applicant is the right fit based on relevant qualifications.
3. When asking questions, listen for diverse approaches to projects and perspectives that differ from the company’s cultural norm. Remember conformity bias, the killer of innovation? You want a staff that can collaborate on new ideas, not fixate upon the familiar.
4. Offer candidates the opportunity to provide feedback of the recruitment process.
5. Invite an outside HR professional to examine the company’s recruiting procedures to gain further (and objective) insight into the process and what adjustments should be made to ensure it is fair.

As we always note, biases never truly go away. But it’s possible to limit their negative effects on our hiring practices in order to ensure an equitable space for employees. A working environment that’s a safe place for diverse ideas and ways of working is one with real lasting power. Want to make sure you have the right support to begin? Eos HR is that team. We make sure small business employers have the resources they need to lead a healthy, innovative workplace. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more.