Implementing AI is a major step for start-ups toward creating a more inclusive and diverse workplace by removing bias from the hiring process.
Over the years, companies have relied on the traditional hiring process to build a workforce. Resume collection, multiple interview rounds, and task submission are a few methods that are still staples in many organisations. However, this method is completely reliant on manual efforts and intuition, has a high time to hire, and low reliability in ensuring a good hire.
The process is also time-consuming and has an influence on operations for the foreseeable future, particularly for start-ups and emerging firms. Thus, both businesses and talents are concerned about faster hiring and fair decisions, which the traditional hiring methods fail to address.
79 per cent of HR professionals agree that unconscious bias exists in both recruitment and succession planning decisions. This prejudice can be based on either gender, race, age, or anything else, but it goes on to negatively impact the company’s diversity and inclusion initiative, work culture, and employer value.
Avoid unbiased terms in job descriptions (JD)
The JD is the first impression of the candidate, so it has to be impactful and attractive. Research shows that words like “competitive” perceive the JD to be male-oriented, while “cooperative” can make the role sound feminine. Thus, by implementing AI, companies can avoid these stereotypes by preparing a detailed JD emphasising the skill of the applicant without references to gender, age, or race.
In fact, as the start-up ecosystem is becoming more competitive than ever, having inclusive and unbiased job descriptions can assist organisations in attracting a wide pool of talent and cultivating a more inclusive workplace. Thus, start-ups must employ AI to assess and improve JD, reducing the risk of unconscious bias while enhancing the applicant experience, resulting in stronger, more inventive teams.
Standardised interviews with the scoring system
Be it an established firm or a start-up, unconscious bias can come without warning, so it is imperative to mitigate it by conducting structured interviews with the scoring system, including pre-planned questions and an unstructured discussion.
Thus, to mitigate any form of bias, AI emerged as a helping hand. Today, AI empowers recruiting managers to create questions that are relevant to the job role and do not promote unconscious bias.
As per a Harvard Business School Professor, companies can eliminate chances of unconscious prejudice by focusing only on factors that impact performance and creating standardized interview processes for a particular job role.
In addition, maintaining a scoring system to judge candidates also helps in making objective decisions without any unnecessary influence.
Emphasis on skill-based hiring
The interest in skill-based hiring increased by 63 per cent between 2021 and 2022, and this trend is set to continue. However, among the massive amounts of data, finding the right individuals with the right abilities can be difficult for start-ups.
This is where AI algorithms have proven to be effective in candidate sourcing by analyzing massive amounts of data. For instance, AI can help firms identify potential candidates using specific criteria such as skills from a bunch of resumes, cover letters, and even interview responses to suggest the most suitable profiles.
This simplifies the early hiring stages, saves employees time, and allows them to focus on different aspects of hiring.
Implementing AI is a major step for start-ups toward creating a more inclusive and diverse workplace by removing bias from the hiring process. By using AI-powered tech talent matchmaking, start-ups can ensure that candidates are selected based on their skills and qualifications rather than factors such as race, gender, or background within days. While traditional methods only give an overview of candidates, AI can help in analysing their behavioral aspects and soft skills to identify potential leaders who can add maximum value to the company.
Authored by Nital Shah, founder and COO, Uplers