Many of us have been there - you apply for a job and within a few days you get a reply (if you're lucky!) saying that you're either under qualified, over qualified or just 'not quite right'. It must be infuriating, how on earth can someone tell you that you're not right for a job just from a 2 or 3 page CV. Well the hard reality is that on average each job posting gets between 100 - 250 applicants. Recruiters (internal or external) have little option other than to be ruthless when it comes to the first round of 'shortlisting' and unconscious bias inevitably comes into play.
What is Blind Recruitment?
Blind recruitment, the practice of removing personally identifiable information from the resumes of applicants including their name, gender, age, education, and even sometimes the number of years of experience
Here are the 4 key benefits of Blind Recruitment
1) Diversity
From an employers perspective, diversity in the workplace is high on many businesses agenda. Using Blind Recruiting can be a very useful tool. Unconscious bias is all but removed allowing businesses to interview candidates who, historically, they would have discounted at the initial stages.
Here's a great video about how one particular organization used Blind Interviewing to increase diversity:
But is that enough? sure, it will eliminate unconscious bias from part of the process but in my opinion this doesn't go far enough. Just removing those details isn't enough, candidates need to be tested and given an opportunity to PROVE their skills and fit for the job.
2) The candidate experience
Just imagine applying for a Job and being asked to complete a series of practical assessments online that are specifically designed to test your experience for that particular job - not the standard application form or the standard personality profiling questionnaire. During the process you as a candidate will know not only if this is the right type of job for you but you'll also have a pretty good idea of how you performed.
As an employer - your candidates will truly see you as an equal opportunity business. Candidates will be less aggrieved if they aren't successful in the knowledge that they were given the chance of properly applying for the position
3) Time
Blind Recruitment can actually be quicker than traditional processes. If the process is set up correctly, employers are able to benchmark candidates for particular roles and only invite the top percentile candidates in for face to face interviews. We believe using this process can significantly reduce the interview to hire ratio.
4) Expense
Talent Acquisition is expensive - be that the cost of systems, internal staff or external suppliers. Blind Interviewing can be a fraction of that cost. If done correctly, it can reduce the amount of human hours needed to screen CV's & Candidates, it can reduce the amount of interviews conducted (which of course has a cost factor) and it will allow Talent Acquisition teams to focus on more strategic objectives.
