Hiring Bias

Biased decisions are difficult to avoid when selecting a new employee from a large group of qualified candidates.  Hiring bias begins when reviewing an applicant’s resume: for example, Ivy League schools are known to be preferred to non-Ivy colleges and universities.  Furthermore a comparative baseline, typically one’s own achievements, is used when interviewing candidates.  Laura Mather became aware of hiring bias several years ago after joining a risk management team.  She was highly qualified, but once offered the position, she was told that the company was hesitant to hire her because she did not attend an Ivy League school.  Mather later founded Unitive, a computer program that helps companies overcome hiring bias through recruiting and interviewing applicants.  She hopes that her program will help bring diversity to companies by making the hiring process neutral to gender and race.  I agree with Mather’s notion that diversity is critical to provoke new thoughts and ideas.  We will continue to eliminate hiring bias at Archetype SC and enforce Mather’s strategies while considering new candidates to join our team.