The "Fit" Factor In The Hiring Decision Reinventing Diversity

Is there implicit bias in hiring practices?

Mary, a sharp, qualified candidate for VP of Finance for a well-funded start-up in Silicon Valley, awaits the decision of the hiring manager.  

Though nervous, she is confident about her performance in a rigorous screening and interview process.   Finally, she gets the word: "It is not a good fit.".  Shocked and confused, Mary asks for feedback, but none is forthcoming.

What just happened there?  What did they mean about the fit?

How the Fit Factors into Hiring Decisions

Let’s take a behind-the-scenes look at how this hiring decision was made.

It was made by a group of three men, who probably see themselves as enthusiastic supporters of equality for women in the workplace.  And, they are, publicly.

Unconsciously, they may feel differently yet unaware of these feelings.  In fact, some expert questioning revealed that they were "uncomfortable" hiring a woman.  

Mary may have had all of the experience, skills and character traits needed to succeed in the job, but a gray area called “fit” stepped in, allowing the team to reject her without accountability for bias.

The scenario above happens all the time.  Feel free to substitute a minority or older more senior candidate for the woman used in the example above.  

How are hiring decisions made these days?

Over 60% are determined by how well a candidate “fits” with the team and culture.  Hard skills are necessary but recede compared to the fit.

What is meant by the fit?

The fit is usually defined as a congruency of values, attitude, temperament, someone with who the team feels a level of comfort.

But some organizations take that concept further by using it to reject applicants who don’t look and think like them.

Consider the people in your social circle.  Do they look, think and act like you? Unfortunately, hiring managers tend to hire in their image.  It’s safe and predictable.  As a recruiter, I learned this all too well.

Reinventing Diversity

There is a downside to using the “fit” to screen out candidates who are not like you.   Although hiding behind the “fit” is not illegal, it can lessen your company’s potential for innovation and growth.

The face of our country’s workforce is different.  A new generation of brilliant women, immigrants, people of color is nipping at your heels.

Yes - they may not look or talk like you.  But trust me, managers, you need them.  It may be uncomfortable, at first. 

I recommend that companies redefine diversity.  Its previous incarnation was not a recipe for job satisfaction or company success.  HR should stay out of enforcing quotas.  

Look at the hiring process through a different lens.  Beyond the surface of your own values. Become willing to consider - you may be more aligned with candidates you might have never considered before.

You may discover that people who are different from you bring points of view that lead to highly creative problem-solving. 

The Boston Consulting Group study found that companies with more diverse management teams have 19% higher revenues - all tied to innovation.  Innovation is the key to growth and revenue generation.  Consider the insanely successful start-ups you read about in the news.  

If you sense that within your team, there is resistance to hiring a woman or person or color, confront that bias head-on. 

Don’t let it keep you from moving forward, lest you become a "conspirator" in a dysfunctional hiring process.  

Confronting Implicit Bias

Now we know the benefit of hiring for diversity.  Overcoming your own implicit bias is the first step.  Keep in mind everyone has them, the trick is to be honest. Begin a process of honesty by educating your teams to unconscious bias.  It requires a commitment from you, a plan and a leader who can explain why it will make a profound difference.   There are pros and cons to training for implicit bias.  Better to use education and model its benefits.  Studies have shown it can help improve willingness.

Screening for Values - 

Your company’s future success depends on your leadership.

Screening for values will be a critical factor in your new mindset of hiring for a truly diverse workforce.  

Several years ago, I gave a talk about the hiring process to business students at a local peninsula college. Each student filled out an abbreviated assessment on values. 

On the table a folded piece of paper sat with my list.

A student read them later.  I was surprised to learn they were mostly congruent with participants half my age. 

A 2018 Deloitte Millennial Survey shows that 74% of these individuals believe their organization is more innovative when it has a culture of inclusion. 

If you are looking to hire and sustain a millennial workforce, diversity will be critical.

Two factors - values similarity and hard skills will be essential for workplace inclusion.

This short story explains the role of values.

I was working with a small technology client to resolve an executive-level disagreement about decision-making.

I administrated a values assessment test with each C-Level officer.  Low and behold, one of the executives had a completely different set of values. There was an effort to alleviate the situation, but ultimately that executive realized his values no longer were a "fit" and left the company.

Define Diversity and Walk the Talk

The first step for an organization is to define diversity and inclusiveness.  This process needs to be more than parroting an EEO statement.  It starts in the C Suite.  

Good interviewing questions for a candidate could be - “What is your definition of a diverse workforce?” Or “Describe your experience with diversity. What are the diversity challenges you have faced in the past?” 

Ask your applicant what they think are common mistakes in an organization's approach to diversity? 

The answer to this question can unmask values.  “How would you handle a situation where a colleague was culturally insensitive, sexist, racist, or homophobic?”

Diversity and inclusion cannot be a one-time campaign or a

one-off initiative. Promoting them in the workplace is a constant work-in-progress and should be maintained and nurtured to guarantee effectiveness. Empathetic leadership is key to this transformation. For real change to happen, every individual leader needs to buy into the value of belonging – both intellectually and emotionally.

--World Economic Forum: “The business case for diversity in the workplace is now overwhelming”