False proxies and tech
A few months ago, I had a conversation with a hiring manager at an association outside D.C.
You’ve definitely heard of them.
They’re known for setting the bar when it comes to fair hiring. Or, at least, claiming that they do.
The thing is, at no point in the five weeks between when I applied for the job and when I was asked to come in for a final third-round interview did they accurately assess my performance.
They could have easily asked me to take a test using Typeform. Or, perhaps, give me a take-home assignment to gauge my skills.
You can’t claim to practice equitable hiring unless you’re brave enough to ignore false proxies—the things we use to gauge a person’s ability to perform a task without actually asking them to do it.
Things like where they went to school and where they last worked, or even what they said they've done on their resume.
Resumes don’t tell the full story. And interview skills, for better or worse, rarely reflect someone’s potential.
Equitable hiring requires a deeper assessment of someone’s actual abilities and potential contributions, beyond surface-level indicators like educational background or previous roles. It's about ensuring that every candidate has a fair opportunity to demonstrate their skills and suitability for a role, rather than relying on assumptions or unreliable markers of success.
There’s never been an easier time to design an accurate assessment and evaluate it for multiple pre-vetted candidates, at scale. AI can do most of the work for us, but it’s employers to make it happen.