Breaking Barriers: All Hands on Deck for Employment Equity
Imagine if we had the right tools in place to reduce bias in the recruitment process. What if everyone had an equal opportunity to work in roles aligned to qualifications.
There’s still a long way to go to achieve these expectations. The employment challenges that I faced as a young Black university graduate, 30+ years ago, are still impacting millennials today, my son’s generation. Employment equity is still not a reality in Canada.
New data from the StatCan show racialized Canadians are more likely to earn university credentials than their peers. In fact, their educational attainment often exceeds the national average. Yet it’s clear they face barriers to employment. The data indicates racialized Canadians are less likely to begin their careers in good jobs that offer the same pay and benefits as other Canadian graduates.
We know everyone deserves a fair chance to reach full potential in their career. However, the hiring playing field is not level. Bias in the recruitment process continues to limit the job search success of racialized Canadians. This is especially the case for racialized graduates who are entering the workforce.
While we continue to advocate for changes to corporate HR policies and systems, it’s all hands on deck. We all can and should play a role in breaking down barriers to employment caused by racial bias.
Here are 3 best practices that you can apply(or encourage your organization to adopt) to ensure impartiality and fairness in recruitment strategies:
Diversify the recruitment team. Select individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences to participate in the recruitment process. This approach ensures a variety of perspectives, which increases the likelihood of unbiased assessments of candidates. It also improves candidate experience when they see their background reflected in the interview panel.
Use blind screening methods. Anonymize resumes and other application documents by removing candidate names and any identifiers of demographic characteristics (e.g., race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, etc.). The approach is meant to retain only information related to qualifications. This ensures decisions on candidate suitability are based on job performance potential. It also improves the likelihood of shortlisting a well-qualified candidate pool.
Standardized the assessment process. Use the same structured tests, interview questions and assessment criteria for each candidate. This standardization helps ensure the recruitment team focuses on job-relevant experience, education and skills. And if likeability or culture fit is a consideration, it is scored with rigour. This ensures consistent and transparent evaluation of all candidates. It also increases the likelihood of selecting the right person for the job.
Remember every action you take in support of employment equity matters. Together, our small actions have the power to transform workplace culture for the benefit of all. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., said it well: “If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way”.
Are you a leader, recruiter or hiring manager who wants to take the next step in your diversity, equity and inclusion journey? Book a free consultation with me to discuss a tailored approach for achieving inclusive hiring goals
If you would like to learn about other practical approaches for growing awareness and addressing hiring bias, check out my Diversity & Inclusion resources.
