Diversity & Inclusion

Ivy League or State U? Employers considering educational diversity

Once upon a time a resume touting a prestigious university would automatically land at the top of a recruiter’s stack. Conventional wisdom dictated that a degree from an esteemed school signaled the best-educated, highest-potential candidates. But now a desire for educational diversity may be changing the old way of thinking.

Professional services firm Deloitte announced in late September that its United Kingdom operations would introduce a university-blind interview system for entry-level recruits “to help prevent unconscious bias and ensure that job offers are made on the basis of present potential, not past personal circumstance,” according to a post on the company’s blog.College Diploma, Cap, and Tassel

The blog post says Deloitte’s recruiters will be given standardized data on candidates that will enable the recruiters “to make more informed choices about candidates by considering the context in which their academic achievements have been gained.”

In the post, David Sproul, senior partner and chief executive of Deloitte UK, advocated the business reasons for the change. “In order to provide the best possible service and make an impact with our clients, we need to hire people who think and innovate differently, come from a variety of backgrounds and bring a range of perspectives and experience into the firm,” he said. “We truly value this difference.”

Beginning of a trend

But looking beyond the prestige of a university is an idea not limited to a few employers in the UK. Brad Federman, chief operating officer of human resources consulting firm F&H Solutions, says more employers are adopting the same line of thinking.

“I do see this as a trend, and I think it’s going to grow beyond education,” Federman says. Many organizations are trying to battle bias in a variety of ways. “But the truth is there’s still significant bias in the system.”

Federman says some employers take steps against educational and other kinds of bias because they are worried about getting sued, but others are motivated by a desire to get the best people.

Attitudes, beliefs, and stereotypes can still taint decision-making despite employers’ best efforts, Federman says. That bias, which may take place at an unconscious level, “stops us from seeing valuable employees when they’re right in front of us.”

Companies that hide the school name and other identifiers early in the hiring process remove the possibility that a label will make the decision for them, Federman says, adding that he knows of employers that hide education as well as other identifiers in an effort to promote the diversity of ideas and experiences that they hope will lead to the most effective workforce.

Federman says he knows of organizations that have assigned applicants a work project rather than showing the race, national origin, gender, and educational institution of applicants. That way, the employer can see a work product instead of the identifiers that can insert bias into the hiring process. That process has led to hiring people they probably wouldn’t have otherwise considered.

Employer use of a blind selection process is in the infant stage, Federman says, but early adopters are motivated by their desire to get the best people. With more research showing the benefits of a diverse workforce, an employer’s competitive nature is often the spark that leads to removing applicant identifiers from the early stage of the hiring process.

Once the hiring process moves to the interview stage, identifiers will become apparent, but Federman says organizations can continue to fight bias by training interviewers to recognize their biases as much as possible. He suggests using a panel of at least three interviewers so they can hold each other accountable.

Some tools emphasize identifiers

While at least some employers are moving toward a more blind selection process, many also are likely to use tools that emphasize rather than hide identifiers. For example, jobseekers are likely to create profiles on LinkedIn that not only detail education and professional experience but also include a jobseeker’s photograph.

Federman says that although LinkedIn often is used in recruiting and hiring, it’s not really a recruiting and hiring application. Instead, it’s a social media platform where people often connect with others much like themselves. People who may be wealthy and who went to a prestigious school are likely to connect on LinkedIn with people from similar backgrounds.

“LinkedIn can reinforce social networks and, without intention, it can create more bias in hiring if you’re not careful,” Federman says. “I don’t think the system does that. I think people do that.”

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