A random pick

Ever heard of blind hiring? If not, then a classic American tale of the 1950s can help to decode this intriguing concept. Almost half a century ago, when orchestras in the US comprised of white male musicians, a few radical directors went out of their league to pioneer a new trend. They made upcoming musicians audition behind the screens so that all they could reckon was the melody in their voice and the nimbleness of their fingers on the instruments. The race, colour, age, appearance and gender of the candidates would remain hidden and they would get selected purely on merit. This trend soon gathered steam in the US, with Harvard and Princeton researchers taking notice, analysing and determining that it enhanced the likelihood of candidates from diverse backgrounds, particularly women, getting hired by 25-45%.

Cut to the last week of 2018 and blind hiring is but a needle in the hiring haystack. "It is the method where managers do not meet candidates for the recruiting process. Candidates undergo tests that are designed specifically for the job and selection is purely based on the performance. Such a technique leaves very little room for biases of individual interviewers," says Aditya Narayan Mishra, director and CEO, CIEL HR.

Thus, a candidate's privileged ancestry or high-profile references do not make a mark in the hiring process.

Furthermore, experts believe blind hiring takes away any accompanying stress from the candidates, "since they are under no pressure to impress the interviewer."

"If a selection process is designed aptly, it can test how well a candidate matches the competencies required for a role," says Mishra.

Candidates hired through this method come from not only distinct ethnic-racial-social backgrounds but also carry different educational and work experiences.

"For example, the pastry team of an upscale cafe could comprise of a home baker, a chef trained at Le Cordon Bleu and a fresher, if all the three candidates could successfully attain the desired test results,'' says an expert.

Even though much noise is made by HR officers over "inclusiveness'' and "diversity'' in the workforce, blind hiring has not gathered much steam.

Anjali Raghuvanshi, chief people officer, Randstad India, says less than 10% companies today utilise blind hiring techniques as part of their recruitment processes.

Globally, companies like Deloitte, EY and Reckitt Benckiser have sort of embraced blind hiring.

Mishra believes in India this technique is primarily used for fresher hiring and for blue-collar employees like factory workers, warehouse staff and supply chain employees.

"In white-collar jobs, companies have just about started to open up to this technique. My estimate is that about 10% of freshers in white-collar jobs come through blind hiring," says Mishra.

According to Karthik Ekambaram, senior vice president, diversity and inclusion consulting, Avtar Group, companies have started blinding the CVs by removing personal information when shortlisting resumes for interviews.

"However, a candidate's personal information can only be hidden during the initial screening stage. It becomes impossible to hide when face-to-face interviews are held."

Experts say while blind hiring can easily be adopted in manufacturing, logistics, engineering, in certain sectors involving creativity like advertising, design, etc, the concept could remain alien.

Raghuvanshi says a robust hiring process continues to be driven by factors like right-fit skills, alignment of the candidate to the organisational culture, track record, etc. "We believe that in future, blind hiring will become the default screening mechanism, given its role in bias neutralisation and will be a part of a more holistic recruitment process that will include technology and personal interactions.''

DIVERSITY IN NUMBERS

• By 25-45% - Blind hiring enhanced the likelihood of candidates from diverse backgrounds, particularly women, getting hired
• Less than 10% - Companies today  utilise  blind hiring techniques as part of their recruitment processes