Equity in Hiring Practices

Three unpopular ways companies can remove bias from their hiring process. 👯 More interviewers Those posts that go viral about hiring someone after a single coffee chat? Or mocking hiring managers that need a panel ? That's all bias - decisions based on gut instincts instead of with objective criteria. Instead, involve multiple interviewers with different perspectives - a peers and key stakeholders may have different interactions with the new team member, and their input can help you make a better decision. 🔎 This is backed up research from Harvard that shows that structured interviews with multiple interviewers are 2x more predictive of success in the role than unstructured ones. 🪧 Assess skills I know skills assessments aren't popular, and many people claim that they won't engage in a process that includes them. But lots of people can talk the talk and make up examples in interviews. It's harder to fake hard skills. If you're hiring a financial analyst, ask them to build a model using dummy data. If you're hiring a social media manager, ask them to create a plan for a campaign for a fake product. Work samples are great as well! And then dig in with questions to fully understand what they did, why they made the choices they made, etc. to ensure they didn't just submit something where someone else did the work. 🔎 And the research backs it up: the Aberdeen Group did a study that showed that those who completed skills assessments had a 36% higher rate of retention in their roles than those who didn't. 💰 Don't negotiate Negotiation increases inequity. When companies are big on negotiation, hiring managers will suggest things like "let's go in at X so when they negotiate we can bump up to Y." Then the candidates who don't ask for more end up underpaid. It promotes playing games and the people who are afraid to push are the ones who will be negatively impacted. Instead, companies should be transparent about their salary ranges and how compensation is determined, and then apply those practices consistently across all hires. Adjusting offers should be reserved for the rare cases where a candidate brings new information to the table around their qualifications or ability to have an impact, or the company realizes they're misaligned to the market. Now, I do know that many companies don't operate this way so it never hurts to ask, but just know that if a company comes up a lot with their offer after you negotiate, that's a signal that they were happy to try to lowball you. 🔎 And again, research backs this up: countless studies from McKinsey to Leanin to Harvard show that there are differences in who negotiates and in how negotiation is perceived, and this hurts people from marginalized groups. Like I said, these aren't necessarily popular ideas - they are more work for companies AND candidates. But they are research-backed ways to make hiring more equitable. And that's something we should all support.

What is your view about anonymised recruitment? We are increasingly asked to work in this way, but I can't help but feel it can remove the essence of the candidate. Anonymised recruitment aims to reduce bias by removing personal details from the hiring process so that decisions focus solely on skills, experience, and suitability for the role. This often involves removing information such as names, addresses, gender, photos, and sometimes education dates. Reviewing applications should then take place without access to any identifying information. Recruiters and hiring managers should be encouraged to assess candidates based purely on their relevant experience, achievements, and qualifications. To support this, it helps to use clear, job-related selection criteria and to communicate these criteria consistently across the recruitment team. Structured and standardised interviews also play an important role. Preparing a set of predetermined questions linked directly to the role’s competencies allows each candidate to be assessed fairly and consistently. Any form of informal questioning that may inadvertently reveal personal details unrelated to the job should be avoided. Supplementing interviews with skills-based assessments—marked anonymously—can further ensure that decisions are grounded in evidence of capability. It is also beneficial to involve a diverse interview panel, as this reduces the influence of individual biases and encourages more balanced decision-making. Providing training on equality, diversity, and unconscious bias helps ensure that everyone involved understands both the purpose and the principles behind blind recruitment. Ongoing monitoring is essential. Regularly analysing recruitment data can help identify patterns or stages where bias may still be creeping in, allowing organisations to refine their processes accordingly. Gathering feedback from candidates and hiring managers can also highlight opportunities for improvement. Ultimately, embedding anonymous recruitment practices should not be about eliminating all human judgement but about creating a system where that judgement is as fair, objective, and inclusive as possible. Over time, it is hoped that these practices contribute to a more diverse workforce and a more transparent hiring culture.

Let’s talk about hiring and how we treat people in the process. There’s a lot going on in the world right now. For many, the job search only adds more stress and uncertainty. I’ve been thinking about how we can show up for our communities, and in my own work, that means prioritizing how we support candidates. In the progressive movement, we talk a lot about liberation, equity, and justice. But those values don’t always show up where they should (in our hiring practices). Whether we’re building campaigns, nonprofits, or foundations, *how* we hire is just as important as *who* we hire. The process is wicked important. It’s a window into how we operate, how we value people, and how seriously we take our commitments to equity. Here’s what it looks like to treat candidates well in the hiring process, especially in movement-aligned spaces: 1. Transparency & Respect ➡️ Post the salary every time. It’s not radical anymore, it’s baseline. ➡️ Share your timeline and stick to it. If things shift, update candidates about that shift. ➡️ Respond to everyone who applies or interviews. Even if it’s a no, it matters. ➡️ Share interview questions with your candidates ahead of time. This helps them prep and show up as their best selves to the call. 2. Remove Barriers ➡️ Ditch the cover letter and use clear application questions. Or, just ask for a resume and send a short written questionnaire as the first step in the process. ➡️ Again, be upfront about salary and benefits. It saves everyone time and builds trust. ➡️ Be mindful of time. Many strong candidates simply can’t afford to spend 10+ hours on interviews. Keep the process streamlined, focused, and as efficient as possible. ➡️ Compensate finalists for exercises. It shows you value people’s time and helps dismantle unpaid labor culture. 3. Consistent Process & Reduced Bias ➡️ Standardize your interviews. Same questions, same format = less bias, more fairness. ➡️ Use blind grading when appropriate. I like doing this especially for written exercises. A clear rubric helps us focus on key competencies.  ➡️ Make it collaborative. Final stages should include buy-in from both leadership and peers or direct reports the hire will work closely with. 4. The Candidate Experience Is Movement Work ➡️ Share your mission, values, and team vibe throughout the process. Candidates want to know what they’re stepping into. ➡️ For interviews, give candidates a heads-up on who they’ll meet and what to expect. When we treat candidates with dignity and transparency, we build stronger teams and stronger movements. We’re not perfect, and we don’t expect anyone else to be either, but we love partnering with clients who are willing to do the work to get better together. 🔍🔍 What would you add? What have you seen that works (or doesn’t) in progressive hiring? Drop your thoughts below. #EquityInHiring #NonprofitJobs #DEI #WorkplaceCulture #CandidateExperience #HiringEquity #PayTransparency 

10 Proven Steps to Ensure Equitable Hiring. I get asked about this a lot, especially after we won an ASTC Leading Edge Award for Business Practice based on this work at MOTF. I've developed these structural changes within three very different organizations over the last 10 years, in America and abroad. Now seems like a good time to share them. 1)     Eliminate unpaid internships and volunteer positions which are designed to replace professional staff. Pay all staff at a living wage with benefits. 2)     Make the pay and benefits transparent. Bonus points for organization-wide salary transparency. 3)     Provide flexibility in working locations, hours and schedules. 4)     Remove degree requirements for all positions unless legally required. 5)     Reduce requirements for experience to less than 6 and make sure they truly represent the skills which are essential and cannot be learned on the job. 6)     Reduce the core tasks of the role to less than 6. 7)     Use blind or masked hiring where the applicants’ demographic and geographic details are masked from the screener, hiring manager and interview committee. 8)     Train screeners to disregard attributes such as employment gaps, job hopping, and career changes. 9)     Train interviewers to focus on the skills and knowledge that the applicant brings to the role. They should be focusing on their aptitude to learn and grow rather than just on what the applicant knows right now. 10) Provide support services for staff and opportunities to learn and grow. Promote from within whenever possible. https://lnkd.in/dHH49imu

Equity ≠ Equality When did we forget the difference between equity and equality in hiring? Rebrands from “HR” to “People & Culture” don’t mean much if the practices slide backward. This week alone, eight women of color told me they reached the final rounds only to learn the organization “went internal.” In the last 18 months, I’ve watched teams abandon equitable hiring and drift back to habits that disproportionately shut out Black women who have lost 300,000+ jobs recently. If you’re hiring, here’s what equitable looks like (and why): 🚫 Don’t pit external candidates against internals. Run separate processes. ☑️ Internal candidates should have an expedited path (2 interviews max) based on documented performance and growth plan. ☑️ Post real timelines. State open/close dates and decision windows. Don’t pull postings without notice. ☑️ Resource your recruiters. Give them the time and tools to review with fidelity and to close loops fast. ☑️ Pay for labor. Work samples, take-homes, “mini projects,” or presentations = paid. Protect candidates’ IP. ☑️ Be transparent. Share decision criteria, who’s in the loop, and what’s weighted. ☑️ Close with care. If you took notes, share a brief summary. “We went another direction” isn’t feedback. ☑️ Move quickly. This market is heavy, clarity and speed are dignity. Equity is not special treatment; it’s right-sizing the process so outcomes are fair. If you’re ready to move from slogans to systems, comment EQUITY or DM me. I’ll send my Equitable Hiring Quick-Check (timelines, separate tracks, paid projects, feedback scripts), and we can book a 15-minute audit of your current process. Let’s make the next hire fair—and fast. If you're a Black woman seeking a role, I'm offering two complimentary pro-bono coaching calls. DM me "career coaching" and I'll send you the link.

How does a company with 1000 people end up with fewer than 20 Black people or less than 10% women? It’s called “diversity debt” — the idea that if your company consists primarily of a specific type of person by hire number 10, it’s basically impossible to get representation back on track. No one wants to be a DEI hire. When we were recruiting for Chezie, a company with an explicit mission to build more diverse and equitable workplaces, we knew we couldn’t fall into this trap. We had to figure out how to promote fair recruiting practices from day 1. Here’s what we did: 1. Encouraged all to apply: We know long lists of requirements can scare people off, so we made sure to include a note encouraging candidates to apply, even if they didn’t check every box (pictured below!). More and more companies are doing this these days, which we love to see. 2. Posted clear compensation ranges: Transparency is huge for us, so we shared salary and equity details upfront in every job posting. This keeps us accountable and helps us avoid perpetuating pay gaps. 3. Standardized the application process: Every candidate went through the same @Airtable form with screener questions, which made sure we evaluated based on qualifications, not biases. 4. Sourced diverse candidates: We intentionally reached out to underrepresented communities. For example, we used Wellfound’s diversity feature filter to invite people directly to apply. 5. Accommodations-Ready: Before interviews, we asked candidates if they needed any accommodations because everyone should feel comfortable and supported during the process. You can hire for merit and make your process more inclusive at the same time. I promise. As the founder ecosystem becomes more diverse, I think more founders will prioritize building teams the right way. For any founders hiring or who’ve recently hired, what did you do to build equity into the process? #recruiting #startups

Inclusion isn’t a one-time initiative or a single program—it’s a continuous commitment that must be embedded across every stage of the employee lifecycle. By taking deliberate steps, organizations can create workplaces where all employees feel valued, respected, and empowered to succeed. Here’s how we can make a meaningful impact at each stage: 1. Attract Build inclusive employer branding and equitable hiring practices. Ensure job postings use inclusive language and focus on skills rather than unnecessary credentials. Broaden recruitment pipelines by partnering with diverse professional organizations, schools, and networks. Showcase your commitment to inclusion in external messaging with employee stories that reflect diversity. 2. Recruit Eliminate bias and promote fair candidate evaluation. Use structured interviews and standardized evaluation rubrics to reduce bias. Train recruiters and hiring managers on unconscious bias and inclusive hiring practices. Implement blind resume reviews or AI tools to focus on qualifications, not identifiers. 3. Onboard Create an inclusive onboarding experience. Design onboarding materials that reflect a diverse workplace culture. Pair new hires with mentors or buddies from Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) to foster belonging. Offer inclusion training early to set the tone for inclusivity from day one. 4. Develop Provide equitable opportunities for growth. Ensure leadership programs and career development resources are accessible to underrepresented employees. Regularly review training, mentorship, and promotion programs to address any disparities. Offer specific development opportunities, such as allyship training or workshops on cultural competency. 5. Engage Foster a culture of inclusion. Actively listen to employee feedback through pulse surveys, focus groups, and open forums. Support ERGs and create platforms for marginalized voices to influence organizational policies. Recognize and celebrate diverse perspectives, cultures, and contributions in the workplace. 6. Retain Address barriers to equity and belonging. Conduct pay equity audits and address discrepancies to ensure fairness. Create flexible policies that accommodate diverse needs, including caregiving responsibilities, religious practices, and accessibility. Provide regular inclusion updates to build trust and demonstrate progress. 7. Offboard Learn and grow from employee transitions. Use exit interviews to uncover potential inequities and areas for improvement. Analyze trends in attrition to identify and address any patterns of exclusion or bias. Maintain relationships with alumni and invite them to stay engaged through inclusive networks. Embedding inclusion across the employee lifecycle is not just the right thing to do—it’s a strategic imperative that drives innovation, engagement, and organizational success. By making these steps intentional, companies can create environments where everyone can thrive.

Hiring makes or breaks pay equity in your organisation. Our new hire data shows that men are often offered more than women upon hiring. But the rate of career and pay progression between genders is remarkably similar. That means any pay inequities that are introduced at the point of hire remain consistent over time. Here's 4 hiring best practices you can introduce to stop pay inequities creeping in at the point of hire. ❌ Don't ask candidates about their salary history. Female candidates are likely to be earning less than male candidates with the same experience when applying for the same role. By basing your new hire offers on salary history, you're likely perpetuating, not improving, pay disparities between men and women. 🤝 Don't allow salary negotiations. There's plenty of data showing that men are more likely to negotiate their starting salary than women. Introducing a clear and consistent approach to salary negotiations ensures new male employees can't get a better deal. For example, standardise your offers based on data-backed compensation structures and your own compensation principles, helping eliminate any negotiation at the point of hire. 📙 Do continuously monitor and analyse your hiring funnel. If female candidates are dropping off at later stages, investigate why. Is there evidence of gender bias across the interview panel? Are the interview techniques not designed to support equity in hiring practices? Finally, if women are rejecting job offers, have a strong feedback loop with each candidate to understand why they don't want to work for your organisation. Is there any worrying trend there? ⏳ Do use a data-backed compensation structure. All of the above is made so much easier when you know what a fair offer for a new hire looks like. This requires a defined compensation approach, driven by reliable market data which is adopted and understood by all hiring managers. Maybe check out Ravio for that last one! 😃 This is a super hard topic - what have I missed?

Did you know there is no such thing as a "DEI hire"? Let’s clear something up and walk through what DEI really means in the hiring process. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) isn’t about hiring someone because of their demographic background—it’s about ensuring that all qualified candidates have equal access to opportunities. It’s about removing bias from the hiring process, expanding talent pools, and making sure the best person for the job isn’t overlooked due to outdated systems or unconscious biases. So what does DEI actually look like in hiring? Here are a few real examples: ✅ Blinded Resumes – Removing names, photos, and other personal details that can trigger unconscious bias. ✅ Bias Training for Interviewers – Educating hiring teams on how to recognize and mitigate bias in their decision-making. ✅ Structured Interview Processes – Using interview rubrics and scorecards to ensure all candidates are evaluated on the same criteria. ✅ Expanding Sourcing Strategies – Proactively reaching out to underrepresented talent pools instead of relying on the same networks. ✅ Equitable Job Descriptions – Avoiding gendered or exclusionary language that may deter qualified candidates from applying. ✅ Pay Transparency – Clearly stating salary ranges to ensure fair and equitable compensation. The best hiring strategies don’t lower the bar—they widen the gate. Strong DEI practices lead to stronger teams, better innovation, and long-term success. DEI is truly a competitive advantage. Check out the articles I shared in comments. #Hiring #DEI #Leadership #redkiterecruiting  

Merit-based hiring practices are DEI practices. Merit-based goals and diversity goals are complementary, not contradictory. Expand access. Evaluate accurately. Advance equitably. A true merit-based hiring process ensures that every qualified candidate has an equal opportunity to compete and succeed regardless of background. DEI initiatives help remove barriers that have historically excluded underrepresented talent from even being considered, making the hiring process more fair and competitive, not less. DEI strengthens merit-based hiring by: 🌐 Broadening access to highly qualified candidates by expanding the talent pipeline and recruiting from a wider range of sources. 🚫 Removing bias from hiring decisions to ensure the best candidate is selected based on role, team, and organizational needs. 🤹🏾♀️ Prioritizing skills-based hiring over traditional credentials ensures competency is valued over degrees alone. The Bottom Line: A hiring process that prioritizes both excellence and equity leads to stronger teams, better business outcomes, and a more competitive workforce. When we open doors to all qualified talent, we don’t lower the bar—we raise it. How is your organization ensuring that merit and opportunity go hand in hand? Drop your thoughts in the comments! 👇🏾💬 #alliesWantedHere