4 ms·

I'm an advocate of blind hiring and promotion across the board. Study after study has shown that it is the only way to remove bias (race/class/gender/etc) on t

I'm an advocate of blind hiring and promotion across the board. Study after study has shown that it is the only way to remove bias (race/class/gender/etc) on the part of the hiring/promoting party. Here's an NPR/All Tech Considered story on it. http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2015/05/28/410264592/blind-auditions-could-give-employers-a-better-hiring-sense http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2015/05/28/410...

Someone1234 11y ago
How would hiring work in practice? Wouldn't you have to completely eliminate in-person and or telephone interviews? Promotions I can see (although you need very formal promotion requirements). Hiring? I don't know.
- vectorjohn 11y ago
  People might cry and complain, but why not text based media like chat or email? Chat for real time related things, email for other. Or voice scramblers, but that's just silly :)
- Simulacra 11y ago
  You contract with an outside firm to do the interviewing, screening, etc. On the other hand, a completely separate HR department gathers the prerequisites of the hiring department or manager, and then they make the decision as to whom to hire. The manager is given a new worker with no biased input as to race, gender, sexuality, attraction, etc. I think it goes much further than simply having a workforce that works well together, and likes to hang out with each other. The attractiveness of the candidate, and whether or not they'd be fun to hang out with on the weekends, or worse, date, should have zero bearing on the hiring process. Check out Malcolm Gladwell in his book "Blink" discussing blind auditions for musicians. Also: http://www.theguardian.com/women-in-leadership/2013/oct/14/blind-auditions-orchestras-gender-bias http://www.theguardian.com/women-in-leadership/2013/oct/14/b...
nickpsecurity 11y ago
That's interesting. What studies do you have backing up the results rather than just bias elimination? Most posts I see on hiring are about assessing the person as much as the person's skills. Character and personality matter a lot. How do you blind hire on that?
- michaelchisari 11y ago
  Is there corresponding data that character and personality (as defined subjectively by hiring managers) affect results?
  - nickpsecurity 11y ago
    Not sure. I know the traits are important but as to hiring managers' effectiveness in assessing them... totally different. Mostly anecdotal stuff there. Wonder if anyone has some studies to post on that sort of thing. Make a nice read.
exelius 11y ago
Unfortunately, blind hiring/promotion would take all the power out of the hiring/promotion game. Most medium/large sized companies have a flourishing trade in promotions/bonuses: you help me back one of my people for promotion to director this year, and I'll make sure you get feature XYZ by the end of the year. These types of power networks are what make big companies run. Not that taking them away would necessarily be a bad thing, but there would be a LOT of resistance.

Someone1234 11y ago

How would hiring work in practice? Wouldn't you have to completely eliminate in-person and or telephone interviews? Promotions I can see (although you need very formal promotion requirements). Hiring? I don't know.

vectorjohn 11y ago
People might cry and complain, but why not text based media like chat or email? Chat for real time related things, email for other. Or voice scramblers, but that's just silly :)
Simulacra 11y ago
You contract with an outside firm to do the interviewing, screening, etc. On the other hand, a completely separate HR department gathers the prerequisites of the hiring department or manager, and then they make the decision as to whom to hire. The manager is given a new worker with no biased input as to race, gender, sexuality, attraction, etc. I think it goes much further than simply having a workforce that works well together, and likes to hang out with each other. The attractiveness of the candidate, and whether or not they'd be fun to hang out with on the weekends, or worse, date, should have zero bearing on the hiring process. Check out Malcolm Gladwell in his book "Blink" discussing blind auditions for musicians. Also: http://www.theguardian.com/women-in-leadership/2013/oct/14/blind-auditions-orchestras-gender-bias http://www.theguardian.com/women-in-leadership/2013/oct/14/b...

nickpsecurity 11y ago

That's interesting. What studies do you have backing up the results rather than just bias elimination? Most posts I see on hiring are about assessing the person as much as the person's skills. Character and personality matter a lot. How do you blind hire on that?

michaelchisari 11y ago
Is there corresponding data that character and personality (as defined subjectively by hiring managers) affect results?
- nickpsecurity 11y ago
  Not sure. I know the traits are important but as to hiring managers' effectiveness in assessing them... totally different. Mostly anecdotal stuff there. Wonder if anyone has some studies to post on that sort of thing. Make a nice read.

exelius 11y ago

Unfortunately, blind hiring/promotion would take all the power out of the hiring/promotion game. Most medium/large sized companies have a flourishing trade in promotions/bonuses: you help me back one of my people for promotion to director this year, and I'll make sure you get feature XYZ by the end of the year. These types of power networks are what make big companies run. Not that taking them away would necessarily be a bad thing, but there would be a LOT of resistance.