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The Benefits And Shortcomings Of Blind Hiring In The Recruitment Process

The Benefits And Shortcomings Of Blind Hiring In The Recruitment Process
by John Feldmann

Most companies are well aware of the importance of employing a diverse workforce. Diversity in areas such as employee background, race, gender, age and religion sends a message of inclusivity both inside and outside the company, creating a competitive advantage in a diverse world. However, the acceptance of diversity of thought and unique approaches and ideas is what truly boosts an organization’s efficiency and effectiveness.

Many employers struggle with how to set aside the biases that are inherent to the hiring process and hire employees who will be an asset to their organization while contributing to a diverse workforce. One solution that some employers are exploring is the practice of blind hiring — i.e., finding ways to mask job seekers’ ethnicity, gender, age and educational background during the application review stage. In an effort to help eliminate discrimination and boost diversity, blind hiring has been embraced by such companies as Deloitte, Ernst & Young, Victoria Police and Westpac Bank. Just as the television singing competition The Voice demonstrated in rebuttal to the stringent age limits and biases established by its predecessor American Idol, one can’t discriminate based on criteria that one doesn’t know.

The History Of Blind Hiring

Blind auditions are nothing new to the music industry. According to The New York Times, the Boston Symphony Orchestra first introduced the practice in 1952. While most orchestras at the time employed nearly all white men, blind auditions targeted diversification by removing focus from everything but the performance. Following a racial discrimination case against the New York Philharmonic in 1969, by the 1970s, many orchestras employed blind auditions. A follow-up study by researchers at Harvard and Princeton found that blind auditions increased the chances of women being hired by 25–46%.

Read full article on Forbes.