Unconscious bias: Stereotypical hiring practices. | Gail Tolstoi-Miller | TEDxLincolnSquare

TEDx Talks

4 May 201710:33

Summary

TLDRThis insightful script delves into the world of recruitment and the impact of unconscious bias on hiring decisions. Highlighting that recruiters spend only six seconds on a resume, the speaker, a recruiter and career coach, reveals how minor details can lead to bias, affecting a candidate's chances. From clothing choices to social media presence, even phone interviews can trigger bias based on tone and accent. The speaker shares personal experiences and challenges, urging for self-awareness and the use of 'so what' as a tool to question and overcome these biases, advocating for a more equitable hiring process.

Takeaways

🕒 The average time a recruiter spends reviewing a resume is just six seconds.
💡 Humans are bombarded with 11 million pieces of information at any time but can only process 40 consciously, leading to shortcuts and unconscious bias.
👠 Unconscious bias can be influenced by seemingly trivial factors, like wearing white pumps after Labor Day.
🔍 Every detail on a resume, including mailing address and email address, can influence a recruiter's decision.
🎓 Perceptions of educational institutions can also impact hiring decisions, even for well-known universities.
👀 Social media can be scrutinized by recruiters, and any information found can affect a candidate's chances.
🗣️ Unconscious bias can also occur during phone interviews based on tone, pitch, and accent.
👀 Appearances, including tattoos and hairstyles, can play a role in in-person interviews and contribute to unconscious bias.
🤖 The speaker discovered their own unconscious bias through self-reflection and auditing.
🧐 Asking 'so what' can be a powerful tool to challenge and unravel unconscious bias and focus on relevant factors.
🌈 Embracing individual differences and similarities is essential for collective strength.

Q & A

What is the average time a recruiter spends reviewing a resume?
-The average time a recruiter spends reviewing a resume is six seconds.
Why do recruiters often make quick decisions on resumes?
-Recruiters make quick decisions on resumes because our brains create shortcuts to handle the overwhelming amount of information we are exposed to, which leads to unconscious bias.
What is unconscious bias and how does it affect the hiring process?
-Unconscious bias refers to the automatic, unintentional judgments we make based on our beliefs and experiences. It affects the hiring process by influencing decisions on who gets selected for interviews or hired, often without the recruiter being aware of it.
Can something as trivial as wearing white pumps after Labor Day impact a candidate's chances of getting a job?
-Yes, as illustrated in the script, a hiring manager's personal beliefs and judgments about wearing white pumps after Labor Day led to a candidate not being hired, despite being qualified.
What are some examples of details on a resume that can lead to unconscious bias?
-Examples include a mailing address that suggests a long commute, an unprofessional email address, attending a college perceived as less prestigious, and social media content that doesn't align with the recruiter's views.
How can a recruiter's unconscious bias affect the phone interview process?
-A recruiter's unconscious bias can affect the phone interview process through judgments based on a candidate's tone, pitch, and accent, which can lead to an unfair evaluation.
What factors can contribute to unconscious bias during an in-person interview?
-Factors contributing to unconscious bias during an in-person interview can include a candidate's appearance, such as tattoos or hairstyle, as well as stereotypes about certain demographics, like the assumption that Asians are better with technology.
What did the speaker do to address their own unconscious bias in the recruiting process?
-The speaker conducted a self-awareness exercise, took Harvard's online implicit association test to measure their level of bias, and challenged their own assumptions and judgments by asking themselves 'so what' to question their decisions.
What is the significance of the phrase 'so what' in addressing unconscious bias?
-'So what' is a self-checking phrase that helps to pause and question the judgments and assumptions used to make decisions, allowing for a more conscious and unbiased evaluation of candidates.
How does the speaker's personal experience as a misunderstood NYU student relate to their perspective on unconscious bias?
-The speaker's personal experience of being wrongly perceived and judged due to their appearance and attitude gives them insight into the impact of unconscious bias and motivates them to address it in their professional life.

Outlines

00:00

😲 Unconscious Bias in Recruitment

The speaker, a recruiter and career coach, reveals that recruiters spend an average of just six seconds reviewing resumes, highlighting the impact of unconscious bias on hiring decisions. The human brain processes 11 million pieces of information but can only handle 40 at a time, leading to shortcuts that create biases. These biases are not just about race, age, or gender but can be influenced by seemingly trivial details like wearing white pumps after Labor Day. The speaker shares an anecdote where a candidate was rejected based on such a superficial judgment, emphasizing that even recruiters can be influenced by unconscious biases. The summary also touches on how various resume details, social media presence, and phone interview elements can unintentionally lead to bias, affecting a candidate's chances.

05:03

🔍 Combating Unconscious Bias Through Self-Awareness

The speaker discusses their personal journey to recognize and combat unconscious bias in the recruitment process. After realizing the extent to which these biases can affect hiring decisions, the speaker underwent a self-audit to identify their own biases. This process involved challenging assumptions and judgments, and the speaker found that they had biases against certain appearances and behaviors, such as candidates wearing bright red polka dot dresses. The speaker took Harvard's Implicit Association Test to measure their level of bias and began to question their decisions with the phrase 'so what'. This approach helped to challenge biases and focus on the facts rather than preconceived notions. The speaker encourages others to recognize and manage their unconscious biases to improve hiring practices.

10:04

🎨 Embracing Individuality to Overcome Bias

In the final paragraph, the speaker makes a bold statement by dressing in a manner that challenges their own previously held biases, including wearing a bright red polka dot dress, purple hair, white pumps, and showing tattoos. This visual representation serves to illustrate the speaker's transformation and commitment to overcoming unconscious bias. The speaker uses humor and a defiant attitude to convey the message that individual differences should be celebrated rather than judged. The summary emphasizes the importance of embracing diversity and individuality in the workplace and the need for continuous self-reflection to challenge and change our biases.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Unconscious Bias

Unconscious bias refers to the automatic, unintentional, and often invisible judgments that we make based on our experiences and societal influences. In the video, it is highlighted as a significant factor affecting hiring decisions, where recruiters may unknowingly favor or disfavor candidates based on factors unrelated to their qualifications. The example of the hiring manager's bias against white pumps after Labor Day illustrates how these biases can lead to unfair dismissal of a candidate.

💡Resume

A resume is a document used by job applicants to present their skills, experience, and education. The video emphasizes the importance of every detail on a resume, including the mailing address, email address, and even the candidate's educational background, which can all influence a recruiter's decision within the first six seconds of review.

💡Microwaving Popcorn

This phrase is used metaphorically in the video to illustrate the brevity of a recruiter's initial review of a resume, which takes only six seconds, compared to the longer time spent on mundane tasks like microwaving popcorn. It underscores the need for resumes to be impactful and quickly convey value.

💡Information Overload

Information overload is a state of being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information that one receives. The video mentions that humans are bombarded with 11 million pieces of information at any given time but can only process 40, leading to the creation of mental shortcuts that can result in unconscious bias.

💡Social Media Investigation

In the context of the video, social media investigation refers to the practice of recruiters examining a candidate's online presence on platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. The video warns that anything found on social media can be used to form judgments about a candidate, potentially leading to unconscious bias.

💡Pedigree School

A 'pedigree school' in the video refers to a prestigious educational institution that is often perceived to provide a superior education. The speaker humorously mentions that even a well-known university like Indiana University could be perceived as less prestigious by some, which could influence hiring decisions.

💡Phone Interview

A phone interview is a preliminary interview conducted over the phone to screen candidates. The video suggests that even though a phone interview is meant to eliminate visual bias, recruiters can still be influenced by unconscious bias based on a candidate's tone, pitch, and accent.

💡In-Person Interview

An in-person interview is a face-to-face meeting with a candidate. The video highlights that appearances, such as tattoos or hairstyles, can lead to unconscious bias during in-person interviews, affecting the recruiter's perception of the candidate's suitability for the job.

💡Self-Awareness

Self-awareness in the video is portrayed as the ability to recognize and understand one's own emotions, motivations, and biases. The speaker shares her journey of self-awareness to uncover and confront her own unconscious biases, which is a crucial step in mitigating their impact on hiring decisions.

💡Implicit Association Test

The Implicit Association Test (IAT) is a psychological test designed to measure a person's unconscious biases. The speaker mentions taking Harvard's online IAT to measure her level of bias, which helped her to become more self-aware and challenge her own preconceived notions.

💡So What

In the video, 'So what' is presented as a powerful tool for challenging unconscious bias. It is a rhetorical question used to prompt self-reflection and reconsideration of judgments. By asking 'so what' in response to biases, the speaker encourages a more objective evaluation of candidates based on facts rather than preconceptions.

Highlights

The average time a recruiter spends reviewing a resume is just six seconds.

People are bombarded with 11 million pieces of information at any given time but can only handle 40, leading to decision-making shortcuts and unconscious biases.

Unconscious bias can affect hiring decisions beyond the obvious factors like race, age, and gender.

A hiring manager's decision was influenced by a candidate's choice of white pumps, illustrating the impact of unconscious bias.

Every detail of a resume, including mailing address and email address, can influence a recruiter's decision.

Even prestigious colleges can be perceived negatively by some recruiters, affecting candidates' chances.

Recruiters often investigate candidates on social media, where any information can be used against them.

Unconscious bias can also affect phone interviews based on a candidate's tone, pitch, and accent.

In-person interviews can be influenced by appearances, such as tattoos, hair, and stereotypes.

The speaker's personal experience with being judged based on appearance led to a realization about unconscious bias in recruiting.

The speaker conducted a self-recruiting audit to identify and address their own unconscious biases.

Unconscious bias is prevalent in various aspects of life, not just in corporate settings.

Fear plays a significant role in shaping decisions and contributing to unconscious bias.

The speaker discovered their own unconscious bias against bright red polka dot dresses through self-awareness.

The use of the phrase 'so what' can help challenge and unravel unconscious bias.

Asking 'so what' is a self-check that helps remove emotional clutter and focus on important factors in decision-making.

The speaker's transformation into a bright red polka dot dress, purple hair, white pumps, and tattoos symbolizes overcoming unconscious bias.