The Results Are In, and They Are Bad....

Thanks to all who participated in our survey:
"Do the leaders in your company receive any feedback about their decision-making practices and results (hiring, promoting, training)?"

We ran this survey in multiple channels and a staggering 90% answered "No".

This means that for the most important decisions an organization makes about its most important resource, there is no feedback loop.

Now, imagine a basketball player shooting a hoop and then being blindfolded, never knowing if they made the dunk. How in the world can they improve?

Leaders must be held accountable for their decision-making practices and results, and they need clear, actionable, and data-driven feedback to learn and improve.

Stay tuned for upcoming posts to learn how to implement this effectively in hiring. Feel free to reach out to me to learn more.

#InformedDecisions #ActionableFeedback #Hiring

I Left My Dream Job Because of Discrimination

After earning my license as an organizational psychologist, I eagerly accepted my first job as a Manager of Impact Evaluation for an NGO helping disadvantaged teens earn their GED.

Fueled by a deep connection to the organization's mission, I traveled across the country to administer surveys in less-than-friendly areas.

As my workload grew, I requested to hire a research assistant. After a meticulous selection process, I found the ideal candidate and presented her to the CEO.

But just five minutes into their conversation, he pulled me aside and declared that I couldn’t hire her because she was not "one of ours."

It took me a moment to comprehend what he meant. When I looked around, I noticed that all the employees were of Middle-Eastern descent, while the candidate was an Ashkenazi Jew—Jews of Central and Eastern European descent.

This revelation hit me like a ton of bricks—until that moment, I had never experienced hiring discrimination firsthand.

I suddenly recalled the CEO's subtle racist jokes about Ashkenazi Jews during team meetings, which I had previously dismissed as quirks.

And the irony, oh the bitter irony, of an NGO CEO, committed to aiding disadvantaged populations, perpetuating the same biases he claimed to fight, just in reverse.

I was too inexperienced and too stunned to challenge him.

The candidate wasn't hired, and I couldn't continue working in such an environment. I resigned, but the experience haunted me.

In retrospect, this pivotal moment shaped my future career choices. It ignited a passion for promoting fairness and eliminating bias in hiring processes.

This experience also serves as a cautionary tale against fighting bias with reversed bias—one of the key reasons why DEI initiatives face backlash today.

P.S. What discrimination stories have you experienced as TA or candidates?

Repost this to raise awareness about hiring discrimination.

♻️ Thank you!

#bias #hiring #informedecisions

🎬 Marriott International’s "Two Bellmen" Campaign: A Masterclass in Social Media Recruiting 🎬

Marriott International, a renowned hospitality company, took social media recruiting to the next level with its innovative "Two Bellmen" campaign (see link in the first comment).

🔥 Action-Comedy Meets Recruitment: 🔥
By producing an action-comedy short film, Marriott showcased its commitment to creativity, innovation, and exceptional customer service.

📢 Amplifying Employer Brand Visibility: 📢
The campaign was distributed across various social media platforms, engaging a wide audience beyond traditional recruitment channels.

🎮 Interactive Engagement: 🎮
Interactive elements, contests, and quizzes encouraged viewer participation, attracting potential candidates and building relationships with passive job seekers.

🚀 Results: 🚀
The campaign’s success led to increased job applications and positioned Marriott as an exciting and dynamic place to work within the competitive hospitality industry.

Two Bellmen video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOgteFrOKt8&ab_channel=TwoBellmen

What creative strategies have you used to boost your employer brand?

#hiring #recruitment

EEOC Sues Workday for AI Bias in Hiring Practices

(This could be a game-changer for HR and AI ethics)

The EEOC is challenging HR software firm Workday over claims of discriminatory AI in hiring processes.

In a significant legal move, the EEOC filed an amicus brief urging a federal judge to allow a class action lawsuit against Workday to proceed.

The lawsuit, initiated by Derek Mobley, alleges that Workday's AI-powered software screened out job applicants based on race, age, and health conditions. This led to over 100 rejections for Mobley, a Black man over 40 with anxiety and depression.

The EEOC contends that Workday's algorithms operate similarly to traditional employment agencies, making them subject to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. They argue that by using Workday's platform, employers are effectively outsourcing their hiring decisions, which could lead to biased outcomes.

This case highlights the growing concerns around AI in hiring. While AI can streamline recruitment, it's crucial to ensure these tools do not perpetuate existing biases. With approximately 80% of U.S. employers using AI in hiring, this lawsuit underscores the need for vigilance and fairness in tech-driven processes.

See the link to the full article: https://www.reuters.com/legal/transactional/eeoc-says-workday-covered-by-anti-bias-laws-ai-discrimination-case-2024-04-11/

♻️ Repost to spread awareness!

#bias #hiring #AI #informdecisions

Talent Wars: Why Data is the Ultimate Weapon in Talent Acquisition?

Imagine your sales team picking products to sell and deciding who gets bonuses purely based on gut feelings. Or think about your marketing crew throwing money at various channels without knowing which ones actually bring in the bucks. Crazy, right?

But guess what? This outdated, data-less approach still reigns in many Talent Acquisition departments. While other parts of the company have jumped on the data train, Talent Acquisition seems to be dragging its feet.

It's high time for a change. Talent leaders need to step up and prove their worth by showing the real numbers behind their work. Let's measure our success, showcase our ROI, and ditch those old-school methods. It's time to join the ranks of the data-driven decision-makers who've been driving businesses forward for ages.

Learn how to measure what counts and demonstrate the ROI on TA: https://informedecisions.io/ebooks-and-guides/achieve-talent-acquisition-greatness/

#datadrivenTA #hiring #informedecisions

WHEN YOU NEED EXPERIENCE TO GET THE JOB BUT YOU NEED A JOB FOR EXPERIENCE

#informedecisions #hiring #recruiting

DO YOU AGREE WITH @SIMON SINEK?

Although we admire @simon sinek, we beg to disagree with him on this one.

You should definitely hire for both attitude and skills.

Although skills can be taught, some, particularly human skills (also known as “soft skills”) such as effective communication, emotional intelligence, and servant leadership, can take a long time to develop. When hiring for a role, we strive to onboard new hires within a reasonable timeframe and maximize ROI on the hire.

That doesn't mean we only need to hire “perfect” candidates (do they even exist?). On the contrary, the skills-based approach to hiring encourages leaving our preconceived notions on what is the relevant experience and education at the door and to assess candidates on obtaining the relevant skills for the position.

A growth mindset and positive attitude can certainly aid in skill acquisition through curiosity, self-learning, openness to feedback, and introspection. However, if the required skills are too far from the candidate's current abilities, these qualities can only go so far.

 

FIVE WAYS TO MAKE YOUR JOB INTERVIEWS MORE INCLUSIVE AND DIVERSE

Job interviews are a crucial part of the hiring process, but they can also perpetuate discrimination and bias if not handled properly.

Here are five ways to make your job interviews more inclusive and diverse:

1. Review the position’s description and requirements: Make sure that the language you use in your job description and requirements is gender-neutral and doesn't exclude any particular group of people.

2. Train your interviewers: Provide training to your interviewers on unconscious bias and cultural competency. This will help them avoid making assumptions about candidates based on their appearance, race, or background.

3. Create a structured interview process: Use a consistent set of questions for all candidates and avoid relying on the interviewer's gut feeling. This will help reduce bias and increase the diversity of your hiring.

4. Be mindful of your body language: Be aware of your nonverbal communication during the interview, including maintaining eye contact, smiling, and nodding when appropriate.

5. Encourage diversity in your recruitment process: Consider recruiting from a variety of sources and actively reach out to diverse communities. This will increase the diversity of your candidate pool and give you a better chance of hiring a diverse and inclusive team.

By implementing these strategies, you can create a more inclusive and diverse hiring process that will help you to find the best candidates for your organization.

Remember, diversity and inclusion are not only values, but also drives better performance and innovation.

WHY INCREASING DIVERSITY IN YOUR HIRING PIPELINE WILL NOT NECESSARILY RESULT IN MORE DIVERSE HIRES

Increasing diversity in your hiring pipeline is an important step in creating a more diverse and inclusive workforce, but it is not a guarantee that your hiring will become more diverse.

Here are several reasons why:

1. Unconscious bias: Even with a diverse candidate pool, unconscious bias can still play a role in the hiring process. Interviewers may unconsciously favor candidates who are similar to themselves or who fit a certain stereotype.

2. Lack of diversity in the decision-making process: If the decision-makers in the hiring process are more homogenous (in ethnicity, gender, perspectives), chances for hiring diverse candidates decrease, as they may apply stereotypes and not appreciate diverse candidates.

3. Lack of inclusion: Even if a diverse candidate is hired, they may not stay with the company if they do not feel welcomed and included. A company culture that is not inclusive or welcoming to diverse individuals can push out diverse hires and discourage diverse candidates from applying or accepting a job offer.

It's important to understand the goal is not to "check a box," but to create an equitable and inclusive hiring process and work environment where everyone can perform at their best.

Therefore, it is important to remember that increasing diversity in your hiring pipeline is only one step in creating a more diverse and inclusive workforce. It is crucial that you are tackling unconscious bias, promoting a culture of inclusion, and retaining diverse employees.

4 WAYS TO CREATE A POSITIVE CANDIDATE EXPERIENCE AFTER THE INTERVIEW

1. Don’t ghost - sounds intuitive, right? yet, so many companies don’t get back to candidates after they invested time and effort in the hiring process.

2. Don’t stall - waiting for an interview answer can be a nerve-wracking experience. If the time to make a decision is prolonged, keep the candidate informed and notify them when they can expect an answer, even if it’s a general range.

3. Provide feedback - in case you reject a candidate, don’t just respond generically with the “we decided to move forward with more suitable candidates” line. They invested their time and hopes in the process and what you can give back to them is extremely valuable — feedback. For example, “we feel your storytelling and data/python capabilities need to improve.” For even better feedback, be as specific as possible and, if possible, share examples from the interview. Some candidates might push back on the feedback, but most will appreciate the opportunity you gave them to improve for their next opportunity.

4. Collect feedback - both from candidates that were rejected and hired. Besides the fact that it will help you learn and improve your hiring practices, you are giving candidates a voice, which is a way to show respect and appreciation.