Understanding Blind Recruitment: Does It Really Work?

Learn why hiding personal information in applicants' applications helps increase diversity in new hires and how you can introduce it in your company using recruitment software.

Blind recruitment is becoming an increasingly effective way to recruit a greater diversity of employees. By removing personal employee information, such as names, ages, and addresses, from job applications, this method aims to minimize bias and promote fairer hiring practices. But how does it work in practice? Is it actually an effective tool? And how can you introduce it in your company? Read on to find out the answers to all these questions and more.

What is blind recruitment?

Blind recruitment involves removing the applicant's name and other identifying factors from their application, such as:

• Age
• Address or location
• Years of work experience
• Name of school or university

The idea behind it is that it is easier for hiring managers, recruiters and HR professionals to make objective decisions about a candidate's skills, experience and suitability for a role and reduces the risk of bias (conscious or unconscious) influencing the decision-making process. The CBI has described nameless hiring as a way to “remove criteria that may inadvertently influence managers and give underrepresented groups the assurance that their application will be fairly considered.”

For example, applicants’ names can provide clues about their socioeconomic background, ethnicity and immigration status, which can influence the hiring manager’s decision whether or not to pursue the application.

As many companies focus on removing applicants’ names from applications, this process is often referred to as “nameless hiring.”

How big a problem is bias in recruitment?

Academic studies and research surveys suggest that bias and discrimination are widespread in the recruitment process. For example:

• A 2017 UK study found that only a third (32%) of hiring managers are confident they are free from bias when hiring new employees. Almost half (48%) admitted that bias influences their selection of applicants, while 20% said they couldn't be sure if bias influences their decisions.
• UK government research in 2009 found that employers were much more likely to offer an interview to applicants with white-sounding names than to applicants with non-white-sounding names, even though their applications were identical
• Muslim women are three times more likely to be unemployed than women from other social groups in the UK, according to a 2016 report by the Committee for Women and Equalities.
• In a US study, universities looking for a lab manager were randomly presented with CVs with male or female names. Those with "male" names were judged to be "significantly more competent and employable".
• Research published in 2003 found that people with ethnic-sounding names had to send out 50% more resumes than people with white-sounding names to get a call back from hiring managers.
• Disabled applicants have to apply to 60% more job openings than non-disabled applicants before they get a job.
• A study by the US National Bureau of Economic Research, which sent out 40,000 fictitious job applications, found that fictitious workers aged 49-51 received 19% fewer responses than those aged 29-31. Those aged 64-66 received 35% more interview invitations than those aged 29-31.

Which organisations already recruit blind people?

One of the most frequently cited examples of the benefits of blind recruitment is the case of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. In the 1970s, it was almost entirely made up of white, male musicians, so in 1980 it decided to change its audition procedures. Instead of conducting auditions face-to-face, a screen was placed between the musicians and the audience. The result? A more balanced gender ratio among new inductees. Similarly, effective attendance management systems can help create a fair and inclusive work environment by ensuring that all employees are treated equally, regardless of their backgrounds, and that their attendance records are accurately and objectively tracked.

Fast forward to more recent times, nameless recruitment was one of the key recommendations of the 2016 Bridge report, which outlined ways to improve equality and diversity in the UK public sector. Following the report, the NHS and civil service are to introduce nameless recruitment by 2020. John Manzoni, head of the civil service and permanent secretary at the Cabinet Office, wrote in 2015: “By removing the applicant’s name and other personal information such as their nationality or the university they attended, we aim to ensure that people are judged on their performance rather than their background, race or gender.”

Other organisations that have announced they will use nameless recruitment include the BBC, HSBC, Deloitte, Virgin Money and KPMG.

How does a blind recruitment process actually work?

As every business is different, each organisation will need to decide exactly how the concept of blind recruitment fits into their recruitment practices. Here's what you need to do:

• Decide what personal information you want to omit from job applications. This can include name (first and last), age, address, names of educational institutions, number of years of work experience, gender, sexual orientation, and hobbies or personal interests. You can omit all of this information, or just the information relevant to a bias issue you've identified.
• Create processes that support hiring in this way. You may want to use an applicant tracking system (ATS) that can automatically hide identifying information from hiring managers, or ask someone not involved in the hiring process to do it manually for you. You can also use practical online tests related to the job the applicant would do to objectively assess their skills before inviting them for an in-person interview.
• Educate your employees, especially managers, on how to recognize and overcome their unconscious biases. In May 2018, coffeehouse giant Starbucks conducted racial bias training for all of its employees in the US; these learning materials are freely available online and provide a useful introduction to bias awareness training

What are the benefits of blind recruitment?

A more diverse workforce has many benefits, including a better understanding of your customers, better team performance, and a better ability to retain top talent. Read more in our article: Five Reasons Diversity and Inclusion Matters in the Workplace.

A public commitment to diversity - such as through blind hiring practices - can also strengthen your employer brand. According to a PwC study, 86% of female millennials and 74% of male millennials consider the employer's diversity policy when choosing a company.

What are the disadvantages of blind recruitment?

While there are numerous benefits to hiding identifiable information from applicants' applications, the impact of blind recruitment on a company's diversity can be limited. Disadvantages and limitations include:

• If you have certain quotas, e.g. If you have specific criteria, such as gender or ethnicity, blind application results may not match those goals.
• The hiring process can drag on - unless you use HR software that can automatically hide applicants' personal information, someone will have to do it manually. This could be problematic if you process a large number of applications each month.
• It may be harder to assess someone's cultural fit because you can't assess things like personal interests. But some experts argue that the concept of "cultural fit" is a way for managers to confirm their reliance on bias when it comes to hiring decisions
• Blind recruiting only makes a difference in the first stage of the hiring process: bias can still creep in, especially during face-to-face interviews.
• Equality and diversity in the workplace, and issues of bias elsewhere in the company, are not addressed, including in decisions about reward and promotion. Sandra Kerr, Director of Race Equality at Business in the Community, noted in 2015: "While blind applications are a positive first step towards a more diverse workforce, we need to focus on removing the barriers faced by ethnic minority applicants at every stage of the process through to selection and appointment. Employers must also ensure their workplaces are fair and inclusive by tackling issues faced by their BAME workers, such as a lack of role models, improved access to fast-track programmes to develop top talent and more support from managers and leaders as mentors and sponsors. Only then will we create workforces that reflect the rich diversity of the customers and communities they serve."

Blind recruitment can significantly enhance diversity by focusing on candidates' skills rather than personal characteristics. Implementing this method with software like IceHrm can streamline the process, ensuring unbiased hiring and fostering an inclusive workplace. To maximize the benefits, companies should also address biases at all stages of employment and provide comprehensive diversity training.