tag:theconversation.com,2011:/ca/topics/hiring-practices-16672/articlesHiring Practices – The Conversation2024-01-18T20:47:15Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2205272024-01-18T20:47:15Z2024-01-18T20:47:15ZEmployers should use skill-based hiring to find hidden talent and address labour challenges<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568966/original/file-20240111-21-gkyv31.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=62%2C26%2C5928%2C3961&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Employers can address qualification inflation by implementing skill-based recruitment and selection practices.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/employers-should-use-skill-based-hiring-to-find-hidden-talent-and-address-labour-challenges" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>A concerning trend known as qualification inflation has been plaguing hiring practices for years. Qualification inflation — also known as degree inflation — refers to the growing number of employers requiring degrees and extensive experience for jobs.</p>
<p>As highlighted in a <a href="https://www.hbs.edu/managing-the-future-of-work/Documents/dismissed-by-degrees.pdf">2017 Harvard study</a>, job listings now often demand that applicants have degrees and experiences that were previously unnecessary, with some job requirements even surpassing the qualifications of current employees.</p>
<p>Of the 11.6 million jobs created between 2010 and 2016, three out of four required a bachelor’s degree or higher, and one out of every 100 required a high school diploma or less.</p>
<p>This qualification inflation increases employer costs through longer recruitment times and wage premiums, and makes it more difficult to create diverse workplaces, <a href="https://www.hbs.edu/managing-the-future-of-work/Documents/research/hiddenworkers09032021.pdf">another Harvard study</a> found. This study showed that marginalized people, women and younger people were less likely to have the required degrees and experience. </p>
<p>In addition, <a href="https://hbr.org/2014/08/why-women-dont-apply-for-jobs-unless-theyre-100-qualified">women are less likely to apply</a> for jobs if they don’t have all of the listed qualifications. Because of this, having unnecessary requirements may disproportionately discourage them from applying to jobs.</p>
<p>The origins of qualification inflation can be traced back to the rise of online application platforms and <a href="https://hbr.org/2022/02/skills-based-hiring-is-on-the-rise">the 2008-09 financial crisis</a>, both of which resulted in larger job applicant pools. Economic and <a href="https://www.hbs.edu/managing-the-future-of-work/Documents/research/hiddenworkers09032021.pdf">technological shifts</a> have also given rise to new roles that require unique skills. </p>
<p>Some employers adapted to these changes by adding qualifications to job listings without removing outdated ones, leading to qualification inflation. While this has been an ongoing issue for years, it is becoming increasingly urgent as <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-621-m/11-621-m2023009-eng.htm">many Canadian businesses are reportedly grappling with</a> recruitment and retention challenges.</p>
<h2>Job analysis and advertising</h2>
<p>There are ways for employers to address qualification inflation, namely by implementing skill-based recruitment and selection practices to hire qualified and diverse employees. To begin with, organizations should conduct thorough job analyses before posting listings by determining a job’s core skills and characteristics.</p>
<p>Open-source resources like <a href="https://www.onetonline.org/">the Occupational Information Network</a> and <a href="https://noc.esdc.gc.ca/">the National Occupational Classification</a> can provide a good starting point for companies. However, manager and employee involvement is also necessary to ensure jobs are aligned with organizational needs.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A magnifying glass hovering over a newspaper page that says 'Jobs Wanted.'" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569674/original/file-20240116-15-rv23m2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569674/original/file-20240116-15-rv23m2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569674/original/file-20240116-15-rv23m2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569674/original/file-20240116-15-rv23m2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569674/original/file-20240116-15-rv23m2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569674/original/file-20240116-15-rv23m2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569674/original/file-20240116-15-rv23m2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Organizations should conduct thorough job analyses before posting listings by determining a job’s core skills and characteristics.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>To create a compelling job advertisement that also incorporates accurate skill and qualification needs from job analyses, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-014-9353-x">our research</a> shows that ads should explain how the job will meet applicants’ psychological needs (autonomy, variety and purpose). </p>
<p>We also recommend job postings state that applicants will be considered if they have transferable skills from different job families or industries. Providing a list of example job titles with potentially transferable skills is a helpful addition.</p>
<h2>Skill-based screening</h2>
<p>Another way employers can address qualification inflation is by using skill-based screening. These assessments are designed to evaluate the skills of a job applicant to determine if they are the right fit for a role.</p>
<p>Asking applicants to self-report their proficiency levels for certain skills during the application process is one screening approach employers can take, but it should be managed cautiously. As <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-022-09847-7">our research shows</a>, some applicants may exaggerate their skill level if they are in the midst of a lengthy job search.</p>
<p>We found that applicants inflated their self-assessments of behavioural skills (e.g., customer service) compared to technical skills (e.g., programming) because behavioural skills can be difficult to verify. Because of this, focusing self-reports on technical skills may mitigate applicant exaggeration and help identify talented applicants without degrees.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A person holds two resumes up beside one another" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569671/original/file-20240116-17-67v872.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569671/original/file-20240116-17-67v872.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569671/original/file-20240116-17-67v872.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569671/original/file-20240116-17-67v872.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569671/original/file-20240116-17-67v872.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569671/original/file-20240116-17-67v872.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569671/original/file-20240116-17-67v872.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Skill-based assessments are designed to evaluate the skills of an applicant to determine if they are the right fit for a role.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000463">Our research</a> also shows that overclaiming assessments — a type of questionnaire that asks applicants to rate their familiarity with both real and fictitious skills — can identify applicants who are faking responses, as well as those who are providing more accurate self-assessments.</p>
<p>Forced-choice competency and skill assessments, which usually require applicants to rank equally-desirable statements about their job-relevant skills, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0001099">can also reduce faking and exaggeration</a>.</p>
<h2>Skill-based hiring</h2>
<p>After identifying a shortlist of qualified applicants, employers can then use more in-depth assessments. The first type of assessments are job knowledge or skill tests. Many off-the-shelf tests have been developed for a wide variety of technical skills, ranging from knowledge of Microsoft Word to contract law.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000994">Research shows that work sample assessments</a> — providing applicants with a sample of the actual work performed on the job — are one of the most valid selection procedures. However, employers should ensure assessments are not too time-consuming so applicants don’t feel like they’re doing free work for the company.</p>
<p>Personality assessments can provide a more holistic picture of the applicant. Validated, forced-choice personality assessments can reduce applicant faking or exaggeration, which is a significant concern when applicants are responding to a personality assessment for a job they really want.</p>
<p>Finally, structured interviews, where the same set of job-relevant questions are posed to each candidate and detailed scoring guides allow interviewers to reliably assess candidate responses, can provide valid information about the candidate’s skills. </p>
<p>Interviews are probably <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.86.5.897">best suited to evaluate behavioural skills</a>. If an interviewer has already used some of the technical skill assessments suggested in this piece, they can devote most of the interview to assessing an applicant’s behavioural and social competencies.</p>
<p>Skill-based hiring can help address problems associated with qualification inflation, while revealing previously hidden talent and providing diverse applicants with access to quality jobs that were once out of reach.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/220527/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Joseph Schmidt receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Joshua Bourdage receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. </span></em></p>Job listings now often demand that applicants have degrees and experiences that were previously unnecessary, with some job requirements even surpassing the qualifications of current employees.Joseph Schmidt, Professor of Human Resources and Organizational Behaviour, University of SaskatchewanJoshua Bourdage, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, University of CalgaryLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2027072023-04-09T12:07:34Z2023-04-09T12:07:34ZThe power of language: How rhetoric awareness can combat hiring bias and discrimination<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518831/original/file-20230331-20-l516yl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C672%2C5103%2C3060&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Literary theory can help us understand why hiring managers prioritize some types of job experience over others.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>I first realized the usefulness of literary theory to the issue of hiring discrimination when I came across an article about a permanent resident struggling to find employment in architecture, her field of expertise, in Canada.</p>
<p>Employment counsellors from a government-funded newcomer program suggested the resident should <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/first-person-degree-was-worthless-in-canada-1.6772923">shave foreign experience off her resume</a> so she wouldn’t appear overqualified to recruiters.</p>
<p>Despite <a href="https://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/policy-removing-%22canadian-experience%22-barrier">policy</a> and <a href="https://news.ontario.ca/en/statement/1001242/ontario-passes-the-working-for-workers-act">labour law changes</a>, Canadian-specific work experience is still a barrier for many newcomers struggling to find employment in Canada. Beyond finding a job in the first place, there is also an <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/36-28-0001/2021004/article/00004-eng.htm">increasing wage gap between Canadians and immigrants</a> with the same level of education and work experience.</p>
<p>While many regard these issues as a matter of social policy, we are also dealing with a cultural, aesthetic problem. As a researcher in comparative literature, I believe literary theory can offer unique insight into the hiring process. </p>
<p>In particular, literary theory can help us understand how managers actually <em>read</em> resumes and why they prioritize certain types of experience over others. Understanding forms of unconscious bias can help us understand current hiring prejudices and, ideally, help us move past and overcome them.</p>
<h2>Relying on rhetorical devices</h2>
<p>The act of evaluating resumes is a reading exercise, and as such, it is bound to the conventions of literary genres. Literary theory can help us understand, for example, why hiring managers often succumb to a form of <a href="https://www.hbs.edu/recruiting/insights-and-advice/blog/post/actively-addressing-unconscious-bias-in-recruiting">unconscious bias known as affinity bias</a> by seeking out familiarity in resumes.</p>
<p>Two types of rhetorical devices — <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/4888/the-case-for-god-by-karen-armstrong/9780307397447">logos and mythos</a> — are especially useful for understanding the resume reviewing process. </p>
<p>Mythos relies on external authority figures to provide knowledge, while logos requires the reader to process the information by themselves. The act of name-dropping is an example of mythos, while academic jargon is an example of logos. </p>
<p>A headline reading “<a href="https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2022/06/09/canadas-trump-is-politer-than-the-real-thing">Canada’s Trump</a>” about a Conservative Party candidate (mythos) is much easier to grasp than an academic paper explaining how <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/43298397">Conservative politicians have implemented “brand repositioning” strategies</a> (logos) in a way similar to Donald Trump.</p>
<p>Mythos serves as a shortcut: what we already know helps us understand what we don’t know. Evaluating a resume is meant to be an exercise in thinking about a candidate and yet resumes listing well-known companies — Apple, BMW, Colgate — are meant to be read quickly, without much thought. </p>
<p>Forbes <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinecenizalevine/2015/09/12/five-items-on-your-resume-recruiters-notice-first/">recommends placing company names first</a> in a resume, revealing that mythos, or familiarity, is valued by hiring managers.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7j1ApF6agCU?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">This Google advertisement chronicles a newcomer’s difficulty in finding a job with their prior experience.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Google’s recent advertisement promoting its work certifications similarly show that immigrants need recognizable, familiar experience — not necessarily local. </p>
<p>Yet <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Technology-growth-inequality_final.pdf">global disparities in technological resources</a> mean not all companies can be verified as trustworthy names. In cases like this, what happens to resumes that don’t have experience that can be pulled up online? The short answer is they may be deemed unverifiable or untrustworthy.</p>
<h2>Hiring prejudice is nothing new</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/07/diversity-inclusion-equality-intersectionality/">barriers that certain groups of people</a> — including women, people of colour, queer and trans folks, and economically disadvantaged groups — face at work has historical precedents.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="A black and white photo of a woman sitting down" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518826/original/file-20230331-20-7hjbn8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/518826/original/file-20230331-20-7hjbn8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=760&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518826/original/file-20230331-20-7hjbn8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=760&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518826/original/file-20230331-20-7hjbn8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=760&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518826/original/file-20230331-20-7hjbn8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=955&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518826/original/file-20230331-20-7hjbn8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=955&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/518826/original/file-20230331-20-7hjbn8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=955&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A photo of George Sand taken by French photographer Gaspard-Félix Tournachon in 1864.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Galerie Contemporaine)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In the early 1840s, a <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/24694550">young Marx was reading French writer George Sand</a>, a rare female voice in the literary profession and an easy target of sexism. </p>
<p>Her 1841 socialist novel, <em>Le Compagnon du tour de France</em>, parodied employers who rejected bohemian young men with fragmented work experience.</p>
<p>The novel told the story about a clash between traditional employers and their values, and a new class of nomadic young workers that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198202257.003.0002">emerged during that decade’s rural exodus</a>.</p>
<p>One employer, Mr. Huguenin, is only interested in hiring familiar young men. In one scene, <a href="https://archive.org/details/journeymanjoiner0000sand/page/40/mode/2up">he asks a headhunter</a>: “You must have companions of the Tour of France, children of the Temple, sorcerers, libertines, the off-scourings of the highways?”</p>
<p>Like newcomers to Canada, Sand’s nomadic workers faced prejudice because they lacked social history, not employment history. At a time when technological progress had <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1162/JINH_a_00205">not yet fostered a cohesive national identity in France</a>, prejudice against workers in the 1840s had to do with their unfamiliar origins within, not outside, France. </p>
<p>Do we share Mr. Huguenin’s fears when we expect Canadian experience from newcomers? Could the same type of prejudice be threatening Canadians?</p>
<h2>Trust is the solution</h2>
<p>The fact that work experience must be recognized or certified is symptomatic of a larger crisis in trust — a crisis that has been <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4187181">compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic</a>. We have not come a long way from Sand’s time: her contemporaries may have sometimes believed in “sorcerers, libertines, the off-scourings of the highways,” but we still believe people can trick us.</p>
<p>By using literary theory to understand how rhetorical strategies like mythos and logos can shape the hiring process, we can gain insight into why some types of discrimination still persist — and how we can overcome them.</p>
<p>The solution to the trust crisis and hiring discrimination is slowing down and taking the time to truly understand an applicant’s resume. Practically speaking, employers should use unfamiliar work experiences as an invitation to poke further and discover a new culture or perspective. It is only superficially that work experiences from other countries may be seen as nontransferable to Canada. </p>
<p>Recently, we have been boasting about how the Canadian dream is <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/immigration-booming-population-and-global-influence-is-this-the-heroic-canadian-dream-1.5693991">overtaking its American counterpart</a>. But we should not imitate our neighbour to the south: the construction of any national myth is bound to be exclusionary.</p>
<p>Instead, what we need is a new myth, according to which all work experiences are relevant and valid experiences. No one should have to toil and labour for years before meriting trust. If employers considered resumes a few minutes longer and did their research thoroughly, we could genuinely break experience-related barriers into the workforce.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/202707/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rayyan Dabbous does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Understanding how hiring managers evaluate candidates can help us understand current hiring prejudices and, hopefully, help us overcome them.Rayyan Dabbous, PhD student, Centre for Comparative Literature, University of TorontoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1930682022-11-02T18:40:02Z2022-11-02T18:40:02ZWhy the job you apply for may not be the job you get<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/492829/original/file-20221101-12-buf2vv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=10%2C30%2C6699%2C4426&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Sometimes job duties evolve between the time when an employer decides to hire someone and the actual hiring itself.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/why-the-job-you-apply-for-may-not-be-the-job-you-get" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>When most people apply for jobs, they expect the job description on postings to match the job that will be filled. However, our <a href="https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2021.1516">recently published study examining startup hiring</a> shows that this isn’t always the case. Sometimes the job someone applies for might not end up being the same job they are hired for.</p>
<p>Jobs can evolve between the time a decision is made to hire someone, and the actual hiring process itself. Hiring managers might change job duties, hire someone for a different job than the one they are applying for, or abandon the job search altogether. While this might be frustrating for job hunters, employers do this in response to uncertainties in the workplace.</p>
<p>At a time when <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/job-skills-shortage-1.6409237">employers are struggling to find employees</a> and <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/canada-labour-worker-changes-charts-1.6556305">many people are making career changes</a>, knowing and understanding why this happens is crucial both to those hunting for new jobs and for people trying to fill some of the many jobs that have been vacated.</p>
<h2>Why jobs change between posting and hiring</h2>
<p>For our study on startup hiring, we interviewed more than 100 startup founders, managers and their employees, job seekers and experts from the startup community. We analyzed the interviews to understand how and why jobs changed in this period and found two main patterns.</p>
<p>We found that some employers deliberately use the hiring process to figure out the needs of their organization and define their new positions accordingly. In cases like this, employers know they need to hire someone, but they don’t yet have a clear idea of what that job will look like. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A woman shaking a young man's hand over a table" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/492827/original/file-20221101-14-uiy350.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/492827/original/file-20221101-14-uiy350.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/492827/original/file-20221101-14-uiy350.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/492827/original/file-20221101-14-uiy350.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/492827/original/file-20221101-14-uiy350.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/492827/original/file-20221101-14-uiy350.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/492827/original/file-20221101-14-uiy350.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Hiring managers may change the tasks in jobs, hire for entirely different jobs or abandon job searches altogether.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>One startup in our study used the hiring process to define two new marketing positions. Instead of writing and posting a formal job description, the founders scoured their networks and brought two marketing candidates in for a non-traditional evaluation process. </p>
<p>The founders described their current marketing challenges and asked the job candidates to present their solutions. Based on the presentations, they designed two distinct marketing positions around the skills of the two candidates.</p>
<h2>Unplanned job changes</h2>
<p>In other cases, changes in job duties are not part of a planned process. Hiring managers might start with clear descriptions of the jobs they want to fill, fail to find candidates with the skills they’re looking for and end up redefining and reposting those jobs. </p>
<p>One CEO we interviewed did this after he received an overwhelming number of applications above the skill level needed for a personal assistant opening. He reposted the job as an office manager position, which required a higher credential, and quickly filled it. </p>
<p>Some managers also change their minds about what they want in the midst of the hiring process. </p>
<p>One startup in our study identified problems in their sales function in the middle of the hiring process, and ended up changing the job after applications had come in. They offered one candidate — who had applied for the original full-cycle sales manager position — the new job as a lead generator. He was promised that eventually he would move into the original sales job he had applied for. </p>
<p>Lastly, managers sometimes stumble across great candidates who fit different positions and fill those jobs instead. One startup in our study went to a job fair hoping to find a mid-level developer, and ended up hiring an entry-level developer and a marketing director instead. </p>
<h2>Positive and negative impacts</h2>
<p>We found that this evolution of job descriptions during the hiring process can have mixed consequences for both the hiring organizations themselves and new hires. </p>
<p>Some changes, like taking down and reposting jobs, can lead to positive consequences, like more stable jobs and incumbents who remain in the organizations. It can allow the organizations to learn, create a better organizational structure and even undertake new work.</p>
<p>This finding is consistent with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/S0733-558X20160000047016">past research</a> that found changes in job descriptions can allow organizations to adapt to a variety of situations by developing structures and strategies that fit the circumstances. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A row of people in business attire sitting on chairs, presumably waiting for an interview" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/492825/original/file-20221101-25191-ir7dg7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/492825/original/file-20221101-25191-ir7dg7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/492825/original/file-20221101-25191-ir7dg7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/492825/original/file-20221101-25191-ir7dg7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/492825/original/file-20221101-25191-ir7dg7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/492825/original/file-20221101-25191-ir7dg7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/492825/original/file-20221101-25191-ir7dg7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Some employers deliberately use the hiring process to figure out the needs of their organization and define their new positions accordingly.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>However, we observed that most of the other types of job changes in our study resulted in negative consequences, like job instability, protracted conflict over job territory and the exit of the incumbent and dissolution of the job.</p>
<p>For example, the job candidate mentioned earlier who was offered a job different from the one he applied for ended up in a conflict with the sales director, and his job never transitioned to the full-cycle sales job he had been promised at hiring. He was gone within a year and his position was not filled.</p>
<p>This finding is consistent with <a href="https://doi.org/10.2307/2392908">past research</a> that found that changing jobs around individual job holders can result in bias, favoritism, low morale and undesirable and unpredictable power struggles. </p>
<h2>Hiring inequality</h2>
<p>The dynamic nature of job descriptions has the potential to produce inequality in the hiring process, since not all job applicants understand that jobs can change between posting and hiring. Those who do understand will have a distinct advantage over those who don’t because they know to apply for jobs even when their preferences and qualifications don’t line up with the job posting. This knowledge may align with individual demographics.</p>
<p>This may be particularly bad for women and members of other under-represented groups who are less comfortable applying for jobs where they do not fit the stated qualifications. Prior evidence has shown that <a href="https://www.bi.team/blogs/women-only-apply-when-100-qualified-putting-received-wisdom-to-the-test/">women tend to apply for the jobs they are already well-qualified for</a> while men apply to the jobs they aspire to be qualified for. </p>
<p>Women also may be less likely than men to apply for jobs with the expectation that the jobs will evolve to fit their skills and preferences. If more women are aware of the results from our study, it could result in more applying for jobs that seem outside their area of expertise.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/193068/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lisa Cohen receives funding from SSHRC. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sara Mahabadi does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A recent study about hiring practices sheds light on why some jobs change between when a decision is made to hire someone, and the actual hiring process itself.Lisa Cohen, Associate Professor, Business Administration, McGill UniversitySara Mahabadi, Assistant Professor, Alberta School of Business, University of AlbertaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1885162022-08-12T04:31:55Z2022-08-12T04:31:55ZPersonality testing in job applications: what can and can’t employers ask you?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/478858/original/file-20220812-14-2gnx2s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C35%2C6000%2C3952&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo by Sora Shimazaki/Pexels</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>You might have heard of jobseekers being asked to complete a “personality test” as part of a job application, or been through the process yourself. </p>
<p>The questions can range from the innocuous to the deeply personal, with some applicants reporting being asked about their <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/everyday/personality-tests-in-job-applications-explained/100560772">political views</a> in such tests. The Guardian Australia recently <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/aug/05/workforce-australia-provider-makes-jobseeker-complete-personality-tests-assessing-zest-and-spirituality">reported</a> one jobseeker was asked to do a personality test assessing “zest” and “spirituality”.</p>
<p>So, what can and can’t prospective employers ask in a personality test?</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1555276468111949825"}"></div></p>
<p>Questions about a person’s age, sex, race, sexual orientation, political opinions or disability are unlawful if the employer <a href="https://www.fairwork.gov.au/employment-conditions/protections-at-work/protection-from-discrimination-at-work">makes a decision based on the response</a>. </p>
<p>But it’s not always easy to prove the employer did actually make a decision based on the response you gave.</p>
<p>For example, say an employer asks a job applicant with a physical disability about what changes they would need in the workplace to accommodate their disability, and then doesn’t hire them because of the costs involved. A court might find that to be <a href="http://www6.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/vic/consol_act/eoa2010250/s7.html">disability discrimination</a>. </p>
<h2>Anti-discrimination law: it’s complicated</h2>
<p>Blatant examples like this are unlikely, because workplace discrimination has been unlawful for four decades; savvy employers know what not to do.</p>
<p>But what about a recruiter asking if the candidate sees themselves as “lively” or “energetic”? Could this question be used to work out age, and then used to deny an older applicant the job? This <em>could</em> be age discrimination but it’s not easy to prove.</p>
<p>And if someone finds they weren’t hired even though they had the right skills but they’re over 55 and didn’t describe themselves as “energetic”, how will they ever prove age was a factor in the hiring decision?</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/sexual-harassment-claims-are-costly-and-complex-can-this-be-fixed-133149">Sexual harassment claims are costly and complex – can this be fixed?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>No wonder people are sceptical about providing information – they don’t know why employers want this information or what they’re going to do with it.</p>
<p>Anti-discrimination laws require the candidate to prove that the reason they weren’t hired was because of their disability or age. Unless the employer told them this or put it in writing, this is very difficult. </p>
<p>Without direct evidence, the candidate will have to ask the court to infer that the reason they weren’t hired was because of their disability or age.</p>
<p>This is a costly exercise, especially if lawyers are involved. Even if the candidate wins, compensation payouts are not windfalls. It’s not surprising so many discrimination claims are <a href="http://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/UTasLawRw/2010/5.html">settled or abandoned</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/478861/original/file-20220812-23636-xfz2om.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/478861/original/file-20220812-23636-xfz2om.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/478861/original/file-20220812-23636-xfz2om.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478861/original/file-20220812-23636-xfz2om.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478861/original/file-20220812-23636-xfz2om.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478861/original/file-20220812-23636-xfz2om.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478861/original/file-20220812-23636-xfz2om.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/478861/original/file-20220812-23636-xfz2om.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">No wonder people are sceptical about providing information to prospective employers – they don’t know what they’re going to do with it.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Photo by Andrea Piacquadio/Pexels</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The Woolworths case</h2>
<p>In Queensland, employers are <a href="http://www8.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/qld/consol_act/aa1991204/s124.html">prohibited</a> from asking a person a question upon which discrimination could be based.</p>
<p>This was an <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/man-awarded-5k-for-woolies-discrimination/lx94rwkxe">issue for Woolworths in 2014</a>, when a man applying to work in a petrol station was asked to provide his gender, date of birth and documentary proof of his right to work in Australia. </p>
<p>He lodged a complaint and the case was heard in the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal.</p>
<p>Woolworths said it needed his date of birth to streamline recruitment, helping determine if he could work in its liquor outlets and his rate of pay.</p>
<p>The tribunal <a href="http://www8.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/cases/qld/QCAT/2014/601.html?query=">found</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>that Woolworths’ conduct in requiring a job applicant to provide a date of birth and gender on its online application form contravened <a href="http://www8.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/qld/consol_act/aa1991204/s9.html">section 9</a> of the <a href="http://www8.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdb/au/legis/qld/consol_act/aa1991204/">Anti-Discrimination Act</a>.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Woolworths could have collected this information in other ways, such as asking if he was aged over 18, and requiring him to show evidence of age if hired. </p>
<p>Woolworths was ordered to pay the man A$5,000. </p>
<p>The tribunal also noted it had, by then, already taken steps to change the online application form, which had addressed all of his concerns.</p>
<p>This case did not involve personality testing, but it does show how employers should be clear about why they’re seeking personal information. </p>
<p>The decision in the Woolworths case came about a year after the man applied for the job, showing how slow and onerous a court or tribunal process can be. Most wouldn’t bother to try.</p>
<h2>It’s about how information is used</h2>
<p>Collecting statistical data about a workforce can be <a href="https://journals.latrobe.edu.au/index.php/law-in-context/article/view/152">useful</a> in addressing discrimination if it’s followed by action when inequality is detected, and those actions are monitored.</p>
<p>Most employers are required to collect data about the gender composition of their workforce and report annually to the <a href="http://www.wgea.gov.au">Workplace Gender Equality Agency</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-using-myers-briggs-at-work-might-be-a-terrible-idea-mbti-31178">Why using Myers-Briggs at work Might Be a Terrible Idea (MBTI)</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>If the data show a lack of women in certain jobs, they can take note and actively recruit women, or encourage women to seek promotion.</p>
<p>This won’t be sex discrimination <a href="http://www8.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/cth/consol_act/sda1984209/s7d.html">as long as the employer can show</a> their strategy was designed to increase equality.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/188516/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dominique Allen receives funding from the Victorian Women's Benevolent Trust. </span></em></p>No wonder people are sceptical about providing information – they don’t know why employers want this information or what they’re going to do with it.Dominique Allen, Associate Professor, Monash UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1428862020-09-28T12:23:49Z2020-09-28T12:23:49ZHow even a casual brush with the law can permanently mar a young man’s life – especially if he’s Black<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/359890/original/file-20200924-14-1qemu6d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=176%2C142%2C5431%2C3589&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Even a minor arrest and no conviction can be devastating. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Doug Berry/Photodisc via Getty Images</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/6/1/21276957/george-floyd-protests-coronavirus-police-brutality-racism">George Floyd’s death</a> highlighted how even a minor alleged infraction – in his case, over a fake $20 bill – can lead to a fatal interaction with law enforcement. </p>
<p>As a result, a coalition of advocacy organizations, criminal justice reform advocates and everyday citizens <a href="https://www.vox.com/21312191/police-reform-defunding-abolition-black-lives-matter-protests">have called for cities</a> to take a <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/28/us/police-out-of-schools-movement/index.html">wide range of actions</a> to <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamcevoy/2020/08/13/at-least-13-cities-are-defunding-their-police-departments/#71497cd629e3">reduce the power and authority</a> of local police departments. </p>
<p>But loss of life isn’t the only potential consequence of a brush with the law. Even a single arrest, without conviction, can be devastating to the rest of a young man’s life – especially if he’s Black – particularly in terms of employment and earnings. And African American men are much more likely to get arrested than their white counterparts. </p>
<p><a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Cb-z1MwAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">My own recent research</a> has been exploring what employers can do to help overcome the barriers associated with arrests and the stigma of incarceration. </p>
<h2>Devastating consequences</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.sentencingproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Americans-with-Criminal-Records-Poverty-and-Opportunity-Profile.pdf">One in three Americans</a> has been arrested by the age of 23, but the stats get a lot worse if you are a Black man. </p>
<p>A young African American <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-019-00618-7">is seven times more likely</a> to get arrested than a white peer. By the time they are 23, Black men are at a <a href="https://www.doi.org/10.1007/s10560-019-00618-7">49% risk of getting arrested</a> and six times more likely to be incarcerated than white men. As of 2010, <a href="https://www.sentencingproject.org/news/5593/">one-third of African American adult males</a> had a felony conviction on their records, compared with 8% of all U.S. adults.</p>
<p>While the data on the system’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/black-americans-are-bearing-the-brunt-of-coronavirus-recession-this-should-come-as-no-surprise-137587">disproportionate impact</a> on Black men are bad enough, it doesn’t end there. Any interaction with the justice system, even for a misdemeanor or arrest without conviction, can have devastating consequences for the individual. </p>
<p>More than 60% of formerly incarcerated individuals <a href="https://www.nelp.org/publication/reentry-and-employment-for-the-formerly-incarcerated-and-the-role-of-american-trades-unions/">remain unemployed one year after being released</a>, and those who do find jobs make 40% less in pay annually.</p>
<p>Research shows that a criminal record of any sort – including arrest without conviction – <a href="http://www.doi.org/10.1177/0002716208330793">reduced the likelihood of a job offer by almost 50%</a>. The impact is substantially larger for Black job applicants. </p>
<p>And while Black men are affected most by these problems, it’s a national problem that affects many young men and women across the United States. More than <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/07/29/amid-coronavirus-outbreak-nearly-three-in-ten-young-people-are-neither-working-nor-in-school/">10 million young adults</a> age 16-24 were neither working nor in school in June. While it’s unclear how many of them are “disconnected” as a result of an arrest record – the pandemic <a href="https://www.voanews.com/covid-19-pandemic/young-lockdown-generation-suffering-severe-job-losses-covid-19">has certainly put many of them out of work</a> – research <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4192649/">suggests an arrest</a> is <a href="http://www.justicepolicy.org/news/12816">a key factor</a>. </p>
<p>The effect on the U.S. economy as a whole is significant, with the underemployment of formerly incarcerated individuals <a href="https://cepr.net/images/stories/reports/employment-prisoners-felonies-2016-06.pdf">leading to a loss</a> of US$78 billion to $87 billion in gross domestic product in 2014.</p>
<h2>Finding solutions</h2>
<p>Local and state agencies <a href="https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/what-is-a-ban-the-box-law.html">have passed legislation</a> designed to prevent hiring practices that discriminate against individuals with criminal records. </p>
<p>These efforts include “<a href="https://www.nelp.org/publication/ban-the-box-fair-chance-hiring-state-and-local-guide/">ban the box</a>,” which removes the question asking about a criminal record from job applications, and other <a href="https://www.goodhire.com/blog/understanding-the-fair-chance-act-and-fair-hiring-laws/">“fair chance” hiring</a> policies aimed at preventing employers from explicitly asking about an applicant’s criminal history.</p>
<p><iframe id="GOrii" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/GOrii/3/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>However, <a href="https://www.nelp.org/blog/ban-the-box-statistical-discrimination-studies-draw-the-wrong-conclusions/">research has shown</a> that these policies are not a panacea and <a href="https://psmag.com/social-justice/how-ban-the-box-can-lead-to-even-more-racial-discrimination-by-employers">can even lead to more</a> discriminatory and racist hiring practices as some employers switched to making certain assumptions based on racially distinctive names.</p>
<p>My team of researchers has been working with <a href="https://www.leadersup.org/about-us">LeadersUp</a>, a nonprofit that targets high youth unemployment in America, to identify more inclusive hiring practices for young adults who have interacted with the criminal justice system, including everything from a singular arrest to incarceration for felony offenses.</p>
<p>Our findings suggest that while there is strong support for the concept of fair chance hiring among employers, practices that would lead to more of these people being hired have not yet been widely adopted. </p>
<p>According to a soon-to-be-published survey of 39 employers so far, almost half reported trying to distinguish between an applicant’s arrest and an actual conviction, while 44% offered applicants an opportunity to explain a conviction.</p>
<p>One problem we encountered was that despite strong interest in proposing changes, human resources employees didn’t always feel they have enough authority to implement new initiatives regarding fair chance hiring. Additionally, when background checks are required, the burden often falls on the job applicant to take the initiative to review these checks for accuracy or to report employers who not are abiding by local hiring laws. </p>
<p>[<em>Deep knowledge, daily.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/the-daily-3?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=deepknowledge">Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter</a>.]</p>
<p>Hiring opportunities for young people who have an encounter with the justice system are further limited by compounding issues such as stigma, skill matching and a lack of education about what it means.</p>
<p>Employers play an important role in expanding inclusive hiring practices for individuals who have had involvement with the criminal justice system. But I believe a key first step toward more equitable hiring practices should be to expunge the criminal records of young adults who have been arrested but not convicted or have committed misdemeanor crimes. That will give more of them a clean slate to build their lives.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/142886/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gary Painter receives funding from the Workforce Accelerator Fund (WAF 7.0) for the research referenced in this piece</span></em></p>Whether or not someone is eventually convicted, an arrest alone is enough to significantly impair a Black man’s job and earning prospects.Gary Painter, Professor of Public Policy, University of Southern CaliforniaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1449972020-09-13T12:11:24Z2020-09-13T12:11:24ZHow to land a job when companies have shifted to virtual hiring<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/357285/original/file-20200909-14-c1e5v6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C1917%2C1063&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Companies are increasingly turning to virtual hiring methods, including interviews that don't involve human interaction. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Pixabay)</span></span></figcaption></figure><blockquote>
<p>“I’m applying to internships right now and pretty much every employer makes me do a HireVue interview. I usually do fine at in-person interviews but for some reason talking to a robot makes me choke up and stammer. Does anyone have any advice for improving my HireVue skills? Is there a website where I can practise?” <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/jobs/comments/drqki4/hirevue_advice/">Reddit user</a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Companies are shifting towards virtual hiring. With <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/200605/dq200605a-eng.htm">staggering unemployment</a> in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are looking for work for the first time in years. </p>
<p>Those returning to the market may be shocked to find hiring has increasingly moved online. This has further <a href="https://www.selectsoftwarereviews.com/blog/video-interview-software-interest-covid-19">increased during the pandemic</a>. Adapting to remote work, <a href="https://www.jobvite.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Adapting-to-a-Remote-World-of-Recruiting.pdf">80 per cent of recruiters surveyed</a> by a recruitment company reported using video in their interview processes. </p>
<p>One virtual hiring trend rapidly gaining traction is the asynchronous video interview, or AVI.</p>
<h2>No conversation</h2>
<p>An AVI is different from a Skype or Zoom interview, because it involves no online conversation with an interviewer or organization. Applicants receive an email invitation to participate, click a link and then record audio or video responses to the questions.</p>
<p>Even before the pandemic, AVIs were becoming more common. For example, one common interview platform, HireVue, works with <a href="https://www.hirevue.com/press-release/deloitte-2018-technology-fast-500-hirevue-ranked-fastest-growing-company">more than a third</a> of Fortune 100 companies, and has conducted over <a href="https://www.hirevue.com/press-release/hirevue-surpasses-ten-million-video-interviews-completed-worldwide">10 million interviews</a>. </p>
<p>AVIs can be convenient for organizations: They may be <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00863">faster and cheaper</a> than traditional interviews, may increase the number of applicants and <a href="https://www.conveyiq.com/digitalinterviewing">can reportedly</a> decrease the amount of time required to hire someone, as well as reducing travel costs. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A woman's hands are seen holding a phone in one hand with a laptop in front of her." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/357097/original/file-20200909-24-9afj79.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/357097/original/file-20200909-24-9afj79.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/357097/original/file-20200909-24-9afj79.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/357097/original/file-20200909-24-9afj79.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/357097/original/file-20200909-24-9afj79.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/357097/original/file-20200909-24-9afj79.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/357097/original/file-20200909-24-9afj79.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">AVIs can increase the number of applicants for a job.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Piqsels)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>After the AVI, interviewers score the videos and pick the top candidates, or in some cases, <a href="https://theconversation.com/facial-analysis-ai-is-being-used-in-job-interviews-it-will-probably-reinforce-inequality-124790">a computer algorithm screens and scores the videos</a>. </p>
<p>Many companies are adopting AVIs, and job seekers are likely to encounter them.</p>
<p>Applicants may have <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/recruitinghell/comments/a1wuiy/new_trend_of_recording_yourself_for_a_video/">negative opinions</a> about AVIs and the companies that use them, but AVIs vary widely in their design. For example, applicants may have more or less time to respond or prepare their answers, may have the chance to re-record answers or may be allowed to take breaks.</p>
<p>While companies are increasingly adopting AVIs, research has lagged behind. How should organizations administer AVIs? How can applicants be successful in AVIs? Our research labs have been examining these questions. Here are our recommendations for applicants and organizations:</p>
<h2>Applicants</h2>
<ul>
<li><p>If there is a practice question, use it! Interacting with a camera <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/ijsa.12191">can be uncomfortable</a>, but remember that a human evaluator will likely see your recordings. Make sure to engage non-verbally with the camera (look at it, smile, etc.) and consider the impression you might create (avoid looking down, cursing when frustrated). Practise shorter or longer answers to common questions (for example, describe your experience in one minute and then three minutes). We provide a link to a free practice AVI at the bottom of this article.</p></li>
<li><p>If you can choose when to complete the AVI, you re-record your answers or have unlimited preparation time, use these resources as you see fit. If you are experiencing anxiety, take a break, write down where you struggled, and try again.</p></li>
<li><p>Consider your video background and appearance. Human evaluators can use your background to judge you, and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2018.03.011">attractiveness and style are even more important in an AVI</a>. Choose a neutral background. And, while it’s tempting to dress casually, particularly if at home, dress as you would for an <a href="https://hbr.org/2020/06/dress-for-the-remote-job-you-want">in-person interview</a>.</p></li>
<li><p>Present yourself honestly. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/peps.12285">Research indicates</a> that the best way to make a positive impression is to focus on honestly describing and promoting the skills, abilities and fit with the company you have rather than <a href="https://news.smu.ca/news/2018/8/8/fake-it-until-you-make-it-not-a-good-plan-for-job-interviews">“faking it.”</a> </p></li>
</ul>
<h2>Organizations</h2>
<ul>
<li><p>Design AVIs to create a positive applicant experience. Candidates form impressions of a company based on <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JMP-09-2018-0402/full/html">how it hires people</a>. Using AVIs can backfire if top applicants decline the AVI invitation or end up turning down a job offer. Design AVIs to make things fairer for applicants. For instance, provide a practice question for applicants to get used to the platform. Offer flexible options for candidates, such as when to complete the interview, re-recording opportunities or more time to prepare before recording. Let them know what to expect. This can be helpful for applicants who are anxious, have child-care responsibilities or face pandemic-related challenges.</p></li>
<li><p>Technology is no substitute for proven best practices. Interviews are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2005.00516.x">most likely to result in a good hire when they</a> ask behavioural or situational questions aligned with the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary for the job rather than questions like: “What are your greatest strengths?”</p></li>
<li><p>Be cautious about using artificial intelligence to score candidates. While some AVI companies offer to automatically score interviews using a computer algorithm, the jury is still out on <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-canadian-employers-turn-to-ai-to-analyze-video-interviews-of-job/">how effective these are</a>. What is actually being <a href="https://doi.org/10.25035/pad.2019.03.005">scored can be unclear</a>. There is new legislation about disclosure when using <a href="https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=4015&ChapterID=68">AI to evaluate candidates</a>. Although all algorithms are different, there is a risk for bias <a href="http://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-018-05707-8">against minorities</a> and <a href="http://papers.nips.cc/paper/6228-man-is-to-computer-programmer-as-woman-is-to-homemaker-d">gender stereotyping</a>. When considering using AI, get information from the AVI company about these issues.</p></li>
</ul>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/facial-analysis-ai-is-being-used-in-job-interviews-it-will-probably-reinforce-inequality-124790">Facial analysis AI is being used in job interviews – it will probably reinforce inequality</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<ul>
<li> Be cautious of biases. Because one can quit watching an AVI at any point, there is a temptation to make <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2016.10.012">snap decisions</a>. This might lead to biased decisions. For example, raters may conflate poor connection quality (either out of applicants’ control or indicating lower socio-economic status) as a lack of competence. Similarly, the biasing effects of physical characteristics are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2018.03.011">particularly exacerbated</a>. Video backgrounds can also convey personal information (for example, political affiliation) that can unfairly affect <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000422">hiring decisions</a>. Ask multiple evaluators to assess the same interview, and use standardized evaluation criteria.</li>
</ul>
<p>If you’re interested in trying a basic, free video interview, <a href="http://www.obiilab.com/practiceavi">click here</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/144997/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Joshua Bourdage receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Eden-Raye Lukacik receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nicolas Roulin receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and has done some consulting work for various Canadian and international companies (e.g., Aon Assessments).</span></em></p>Asynchronous video interviews, or AVIs, are a virtual hiring trend that are gaining a lot of traction. Here’s how job candidates and organizations can best use them.Joshua Bourdage, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, University of CalgaryEden-Raye Lukacik, University of CalgaryNicolas Roulin, Associate Professor of Industrial-Organizational Psychology, Saint Mary’s UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1231522019-09-09T19:48:27Z2019-09-09T19:48:27ZHow to conduct job interviews with candidates who have autism<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/291390/original/file-20190908-175668-1vyoida.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C7468%2C4981&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Organizations need to take special considerations when interview candidates with autism. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The unemployment and underemployment of capable workers with autism is a <a href="https://researchportal.hw.ac.uk/en/publications/examining-the-exclusion-of-employees-with-asperger-syndrome-from-">well-documented phenomenon, as a British study showed</a>. </p>
<p>Employers are gradually getting better at recognizing <a href="https://hbr.org/2017/05/neurodiversity-as-a-competitive-advantage">the value</a> of including neurodiverse people in their organizations, and information about <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-accommodating-workers-with-autism-benefits-employers-and-all-of-us-119628">accommodation strategies</a> is starting to become more readily available.</p>
<p>That said, these accommodations aren’t helpful to workers if they are unable to land a job in the first place. Recruitment and selection practices can inadvertently negatively impact candidates with autism. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://minds.wisconsin.edu/handle/1793/77634">job interview</a> in particular can be problematic since people with autism often struggle to understand unstated communication and social norms. Their difficulties in these areas can result in poor ratings during interviews, even when the candidate would be an excellent fit for the job, which puts both the candidate and employer at a disadvantage. </p>
<p>Some simple tactics can help lessen the likelihood of this happening.</p>
<h2>Interview setting</h2>
<p>People with autism often have <a href="https://www.autismspeaks.ca/about/about-autism/learn-the-signs-of-autism/">sensory processing</a> issues as well as difficulties understanding body language, facial expressions, vocal tone and social norms. </p>
<p>Panel interviews in which multiple people interview the candidate at once magnify these issues since the candidate has to focus on several people’s non-verbal and verbal communication at once. This is both challenging and exhausting for many with autism, resulting in underperformance. </p>
<p>Employers often prefer panel interviews over individual interviews, however, because they have been proven to minimize non-conscious biases in hiring. But organizations can achieve the same goal with sequential interviews. </p>
<p>During sequential interviews, candidates see multiple interviewers, but not all at the same time. Candidates with autism can be more fairly assessed using this method, although caution needs to be taken not to schedule too many interviews too closely together. Having interviews on separate days would be ideal when practical. </p>
<p>The location of the interview can also be important. Employers should select quiet spaces without visual distractions, heavy scents or fluorescent lighting. Avoid interviews conducted over meals since managing the unspoken etiquette of dining can be a substantial distraction for those with autism.</p>
<h2>Question types</h2>
<p>The nature of the questions asked in interviews can also systematically disadvantage candidates with autism. Avoid vague questions or trendy pop-psychology questions that have no discernable connection to job tasks and responsibilities.</p>
<p>For example, questions like: “If you could be any animal, what animal would you be and why?” are simply bewildering for people with autism (and many others). Also avoid testing skills obliquely. </p>
<p>Some employers use questions like: “How many red jelly beans are in this jar?” and expect a candidate to demonstrate their numerical reasoning and estimation skills. A person with autism may take this question very literally, however, and believe that the only way to answer is to actually count the beans. </p>
<p>Instead, test relevant job skills directly using objective, <a href="https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/toolkits/pages/screeningbymeansofpreemploymenttesting.aspx">scientifically validated tests</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/291392/original/file-20190908-175700-1180crm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/291392/original/file-20190908-175700-1180crm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/291392/original/file-20190908-175700-1180crm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/291392/original/file-20190908-175700-1180crm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/291392/original/file-20190908-175700-1180crm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/291392/original/file-20190908-175700-1180crm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/291392/original/file-20190908-175700-1180crm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Ask clear, objective questions.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It’s also important to avoid overly socially biased (people-pleasing) questions, especially when they are unrelated to job tasks and context. Don’t ask what someone else might do or think (“What would your supervisor say about you,” for example). Ask more direct questions — people with autism respond well to questions related to things they have actually experienced. </p>
<p>Phrase behavioural questions, such as “tell me about a time you experienced a disagreement about process flow with a coworker and how you handled it” accordingly. A hypothetical situational scenario can be tough. Avoid any question that starts with “imagine;” instead use “describe a time.” </p>
<h2>General communication</h2>
<p>There are also some general communication guidelines to observe when interviewing people with autism. Avoid the use of confusing language that could be taken literally (for example, “land a job”). </p>
<p>Be aware that norms around sensitive matters such as salary negotiations may not be clear, so the candidate may not react as “expected.” That should not impact a candidate’s interview score unless salary negotiations are actually part of the job description for the job they’re applying for. </p>
<p>Be aware that a subset of people with autism are highly adept at noticing <a href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/6126401">micro expressions</a>, the very quick expressions that flit across someone’s face before they “rearrange” into a socially acceptable reaction. The people able to perceive this, however, are often unaware that they are supposed to ignore those expressions and respond to the “public face” instead. This can lead to social awkwardness. </p>
<p>Once again, that should not impact the candidate’s interview score unless understanding social nuances is a key job requirement.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-accommodating-workers-with-autism-benefits-employers-and-all-of-us-119628">How accommodating workers with autism benefits employers -- and all of us</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>These practices can help employers hire highly capable skilled workers with autism. </p>
<p>And that means organizations can positively impact their bottom line and competitiveness while also achieving social justice and equity goals — a worthwhile effort indeed. </p>
<hr>
<p><em>The author would like to acknowledge the important contributions of Tracy Powell-Rudy and Marcia Scheiner of Integrate Autism Employment Advisors, an organization that helps identify, recruit, and retain qualified professionals on the autism spectrum, to this research.</em></p>
<p>[ <em>Like what you’ve read? Want more?</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/ca/newsletters?utm_source=TCCA&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=likethis">Sign up for The Conversation’s daily newsletter</a>. ]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/123152/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Katherine Breward does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Asking clear, concise, direct questions in job interviews can help employers hire highly capable, skilled workers with autism.Katherine Breward, Associate Professor, Business and Administration, University of WinnipegLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1152822019-05-09T10:37:21Z2019-05-09T10:37:21ZWomen entrepreneurs thrive managing talented teams and balancing many investors<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/272813/original/file-20190506-103068-1pbdg7x.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Women leaders tend to collaborate better than men.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/she-working-till-sundown-mixed-media-457108258">Sergey Nivens/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Only a <a href="https://www.catalyst.org/research/women-ceos-of-the-sp-500/">handful of the top companies</a> in the U.S. are led by a woman. </p>
<p>Efforts to change that and promote more women into positions of leadership have relied primarily on questions of equality. But is there also a business case for putting more women in charge? </p>
<p>Previous research on differences in leadership styles between men and women has suggested the latter <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-the-world-needs-more-women-ceos-104876">make decisions using more collaborative and relational methods</a>, which enables them to better manage a range of groups and resources. But it wasn’t able to show whether this actually led to better results. </p>
<p>Thanks to a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/jsbm.12492">study we co-authored</a> in 2019, we have data that shows women-led businesses, in certain scenarios, do indeed perform better than those run by men. </p>
<h2>The case for female leadership</h2>
<p>Our research, conducted with colleagues Gonzalo Molina-Sieiro and Michael Holmes, focused on entrepreneurs trying to grow their nascent companies quickly.</p>
<p>We began with the results of the <a href="https://www.kauffman.org/microsites/kfs">Kauffman Firm Survey</a>, which tracked 4,928 companies founded in 2004 by conducting annual surveys through 2011. The database includes lots of information critical to understanding what factors influence performance, including revenue, employees and intellectual property. For our purposes, it also includes many details about the main entrepreneur and top managers behind the venture, including education, experience and gender. </p>
<p>Most entrepreneurs run small operations with few employees and little desire to grow much. A small share, however, lead what we call “high-growth ventures,” which <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/research/high-growth-firms-and-cities-in-the-us-an-analysis-of-the-inc-5000/">are often defined</a> as companies that experience annualized employment growth of 20% or more during a three-year period. </p>
<p><a href="http://fortune.com/100-fastest-growing-companies8">These companies</a> are a significant engine of economic activity, <a href="https://www.kauffman.org/what-we-do/resources/entrepreneurship-policy-digest/the-economic-impact-of-high-growth-startups">producing millions of jobs</a> a year in the United States alone and are responsible for <a href="https://smbintelligence.com/why-prime-growth-most-likely-to-create-new-jobs/">a majority of new jobs</a> created in the U.S. over the last several decades. </p>
<p>For our purposes, we defined a high-growth venture as among the top 10% of all entrepreneurial businesses in our sample in terms of employee growth in any given year. While the <a href="https://www.gemconsortium.org/report">majority of these</a> were led by a male entrepreneur, about a quarter were run by a woman. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/273173/original/file-20190507-103057-1dmcmf7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/273173/original/file-20190507-103057-1dmcmf7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273173/original/file-20190507-103057-1dmcmf7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273173/original/file-20190507-103057-1dmcmf7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273173/original/file-20190507-103057-1dmcmf7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273173/original/file-20190507-103057-1dmcmf7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273173/original/file-20190507-103057-1dmcmf7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Women leaders tend to collaborate well with their team.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/friends-people-group-teamwork-diversity-557769019?src=u4fE9fJEL419tMwnN87ZOg-1-89">Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Collaborative management styles</h2>
<p>In our research, we started by comparing how female-led companies performed in terms of employee growth versus those helmed by men.</p>
<p>In preliminary analyses we found that, overall, a female-led business was less likely to experience high growth. However, we knew that there was more to the story since other research has indicated the <a href="https://www.peoplematters.in/article/leadership/female-leadership-advantages-challenges-and-opportunities-19161?utm_source=peoplematters&utm_medium=interstitial&utm_campaign=learnings-of-the-day">strengths they bring to organizations</a>.</p>
<p>Given what we know about <a href="https://hbr.org/2007/09/women-and-the-labyrinth-of-leadership">female leaders’ collaborative and relational know-how</a>, we developed a theory that they should be particularly skilled at leveraging the talents of senior executives and managers. For example, <a href="https://hbr.org/2018/11/how-women-manage-the-gendered-norms-of-leadership">many female leaders argue</a> building relationships with employees helps create win-win scenarios where employees feel valued, which also helps them avoid the double bind of appearing too authoritative. </p>
<p>So we examined two markers of human capital and management talent: the number of top managers with a college degree or higher and how many had previous entrepreneurial experience. </p>
<p>The results were clear: Female-led companies with more educated managers were more likely to attain high employment growth than male peers with a management team with similar levels of experience. </p>
<p>Levels of entrepreneurial experience, on the other hand, didn’t make a difference for high growth. </p>
<h2>Investors and capital</h2>
<p>We also looked at two other variables: the number of ownership stakes and financial capital. </p>
<p>An important way companies grow is by raising funds. To do so, they often trade equity in the business for financial support. But giving investors a say on internal decisions like management and strategy can lead to conflict and division. It can also upset the balance of power among top managers. </p>
<p>An interesting finding from our research, however, is that female-led companies were more likely to hire rapidly and grow when there were more top managers or investors who held ownership stakes in the company. <a href="https://femaleentrepreneurs.institute/resolve-any-conflict-tips-pros/">Research has shown</a> that female leaders often excel at managing conflict, which helps explain our results. </p>
<p>As for capital, <a href="https://www.fundera.com/blog/women-entrepreneurs-arent-getting-funded">much has been written</a> about the <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/story/women-owned-businesses-face-a-lack-of-funding-and-heres-how-to-change-this-2019-03-08">struggle women entrepreneurs face</a> <a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/bizwomen/news/latest-news/2018/11/womens-share-of-venture-capital-remains-flat.html?page=all">obtaining financing</a> for their startups. But when they finally do secure financial capital, how do they fare? </p>
<p>To find out, we looked only at companies in our database that had received financial support from a venture capital firm. Again, we found that companies led by a woman experienced stronger hiring growth than those that had a man in charge. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.bcg.com/it-it/publications/2018/why-women-owned-startups-are-better-bet.aspx">Other research</a> has found that female entrepreneurs do more with less and are able to generate more revenue per funds invested than their male counterparts. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/273175/original/file-20190507-103075-16hxsh8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/273175/original/file-20190507-103075-16hxsh8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273175/original/file-20190507-103075-16hxsh8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273175/original/file-20190507-103075-16hxsh8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273175/original/file-20190507-103075-16hxsh8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273175/original/file-20190507-103075-16hxsh8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/273175/original/file-20190507-103075-16hxsh8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Better family leave policies would help women move into the workplace.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/mother-kissing-her-little-baby-family-371032121?src=apBn1EcRO7pj9Qg_buUAfg-2-94">Dragon Images/Shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Utilizing women’s skills and experience</h2>
<p>The point of our study is not to show that female-led companies – high growth or not – perform better than men. </p>
<p>Rather, our research suggests that women do bring valuable and unique skills and experience to the table that can make a significant difference to business success. Yet, given so few companies are run by women, their skills and experiences are not fully utilized. </p>
<p>There are many well-known ways to help fix this, of course, such as implementing <a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/early-childhood/reports/2019/03/28/467488/child-care-crisis-keeping-women-workforce">better family leave policies</a> that are friendly to women staying in their careers, setting up development programs aimed at encouraging female entrepreneurs and finding ways to improve their access to financial capital – to name just a few. </p>
<p>Giving more opportunities to women entrepreneurs isn’t just good for them. It can be good for the entire economy.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/115282/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>New research suggests women-led startups can experience more rapid employment growth than those run by men in certain scenarios.Richard A. Devine, DePaul UniversitySiri Terjesen, Dean's Distinguished Professor in Entrepreneurship, Florida Atlantic UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/886932018-01-02T20:51:03Z2018-01-02T20:51:03ZBias creeps into reference checks, so is it time to ditch them?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/199383/original/file-20171215-17848-6xu1sn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Research shows gender bias even invades in the content of recommendations.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Connie/Flickr</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>As much as we’d like to think we’ve refined the hiring process over the years to carefully select the best candidate for the job, bias still creeps in.</p>
<p>Candidates who come from privileged backgrounds are more able to source impressive, well-connected referrers and this perpetuates the cycle of privilege. While the referrer’s reputation and personal clout make up one aspect of the recommendation, what they actually say - the content - completes the picture. </p>
<hr>
<p><strong><em>Research: <a href="https://theconversation.com/unconscious-bias-is-keeping-women-out-of-senior-roles-but-we-can-get-around-it-73518">Unconscious bias is keeping women out of senior roles, but we can get around it</a></em></strong></p>
<hr>
<p><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ngeo2819">Research shows</a> gender bias even invades in the content of recommendations. In this study female applicants for post-doctoral research positions in the field of geoscience were only half as likely as their male counterparts to receive excellent (as opposed to just good) endorsements from their referees. Since it’s unlikely that of the 1,200 recommendation letters analysed, female candidates were less excellent than the male candidates, it means something else is going on. </p>
<p>A result like this may be explained by the gender role conforming adjectives that are used to describe female versus male applicants. Women are more likely to be observed and described as “nurturing” and “helpful”, whereas men are attributed with stronger, more competence-based words like <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fa0016539">“confident” and “ambitious”</a>. This can, in turn, lead to stronger recommendations for male candidates. </p>
<p>Worryingly, in another study <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0181659">similar patterns</a> emerged in the way black versus white, and female versus male, medical students were described in performance evaluations. These were used as input to select residents. </p>
<p>In both cases the members of minority groups were described using less impressive words (like “competent” versus “exceptional”), a pattern that was observed even after controlling for licensing examination scores, an objective measure of competence. </p>
<h2>Recommendations aren’t good predictors of performance</h2>
<p>Let’s put the concerns about bias aside for a moment while we examine an even bigger question: are recommendations actually helpful, valid indicators of future job performance or are they based on outdated traditions that we keep enforcing?</p>
<p>Even back in the 90s, <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/009102609302200106">researchers</a> were trying to alert hiring managers to the ineffectiveness of this as a tool, noting some major problems. </p>
<p>The first problem is leniency, referees are allowed to be chosen by the candidate and tend to be overly positive. The second is too little knowledge of the applicant, as referees are unlikely to see all aspects of a prospective employees’ work and personal character. </p>
<p>Reliability is another problem. It turns out there is higher agreement between two letters written by the same referee for different candidates, than there is for two letters (written by two different referees) for the same candidate! </p>
<p><a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/record/2010-16993-001">There is evidence</a> that people behave in different ways when they are in different situations at work, which would reasonably lead to different recommendations from various referees. However, the fact that there is more consistency between what referees say about different candidates than between what different referees say about the same candidate remains a problem. </p>
<h2>The alternatives to the referee</h2>
<p>There are a few initiatives that are currently being used as alternatives to standard recruitment processes. One example is gamification – where candidates play spatial awareness or other job-relevant games to demonstrate their competence. For example, <a href="https://www.thinkincircles.com/deloitte-gamify-the-recruitment-process/">Deloitte</a> has teamed up with software developer, Arctic Shores, for a fresh take on recruitment in an attempt to move away from the more traditional methods of recruitment.</p>
<p>However, gamification is not without its flaws – these methods would certainly favour individuals who are more experienced with certain kinds of video games, and gamers are more likely <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/232383/gender-split-of-us-computer-and-video-gamers/">to be male</a>. So it’s a bit of a catch-22 for recruiters who are introducing bias through a process designed to try to eliminate bias. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/who-do-you-think-you-are-the-problems-with-workplace-personality-tests-14164">Who do you think you are? The problems with workplace personality tests</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>If companies are serious about overcoming potential bias in recruitment and selection processes, they should consider addressing gender, racial, economic and other forms of inequality. One way to do this is through broadening the recruitment pool by making sure the language they use in position descriptions and jobs ads is more inclusive. Employers can indicate flexible work options are available and make the decision to choose the minority candidates when they are equally qualified as other candidates. </p>
<p>Another option is to increase the diversity of the selection committee to add some new perspectives to previously homogeneous committees. Diverse selectors are <a href="https://www.nature.com/news/elite-labs-hire-more-men-than-women-1.15483">more likely to speak up</a> about and consider the importance of hiring more diverse candidates. </p>
<p>Job seekers could even try running a letter of reference through software, such as <a href="https://textio.com/">Textio,</a> that reports gender bias in pieces of text and provides gender-neutral alternatives. But just as crucial is the need for human resources departments to start looking for more accurate mechanisms to evaluate candidates’ competencies.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/88693/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Melissa Wheeler has engaged in paid and pro-bono consulting and research relating to issues of social justice, applied ethics, and gender equality (e.g., Our Watch, Queen Victoria Women’s Centre, National Association of Women in Operations). She is affiliated with the Centre for Ethical Leadership, which receives funding from several partner organisations, in the private and public sector, including from the Victorian Government.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Victor Sojo does research with a number of partner organisations. Currently he is working with Cohealth, EACH, Eastern Community Legal Center, Monash City Council and Oxfam Australia. Victor is also a pro-bono consultant in the Victorian Government Recruit Smarter Initiative. Additionally, Victor is a member of VicHealth's Leading Thinkers Taskforce for behavioural insights & gender equality.</span></em></p>Even back in the 90s, researchers were trying to alert hiring managers to the ineffectiveness of this as a tool, noting some major problems.Melissa A. Wheeler, Research Fellow, The University of MelbourneVictor Sojo, Lecturer, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/825682017-08-21T10:55:23Z2017-08-21T10:55:23ZGoogle memo completely misses how implicit biases harm women<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/182605/original/file-20170818-22783-fr99ny.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Bias at work?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/adult-architect-blueprint-business-416405/">pixabay.com</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Workplace biases are back in the national conversation, thanks to the recent <a href="http://gizmodo.com/exclusive-heres-the-full-10-page-anti-diversity-screed-1797564320">memo</a> by a Google employee. The memo’s author challenges the company’s diversity policies, arguing that psychological differences between men and women explain why fewer women work in tech. </p>
<p>He also minimizes the effect that unconscious biases have on women in the workplace. Even though most of us believe that we value others equally and don’t discriminate, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Blindspot-Hidden-Biases-Good-People/dp/0553804642">research shows</a> that our unconscious beliefs show up in our actions. </p>
<p>I am a professor of economics at a women’s college, focusing on issues that women face in the labor market. To me, the evidence is clear that implicit bias is still prevalent in today’s workplace, even after years of federal and state laws that make discrimination illegal – and that bias often leads to actual economic harm.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.oecd.org/dev/development-gender/SIGI_cost_final.pdf">One recent analysis</a> by the Organisation of Economic Co-Operation and Development states that gender based discrimination has decreased global income by 16 percent, or US$12 trillion. Since research documents that women will devote more of their <a href="https://blogs.wsj.com/ideas-market/2011/01/27/the-gender-of-money/">financial resources to spending on the needs of children</a> than do men, it is especially important to families that women have economic empowerment and their own earnings. </p>
<h2>Giving men the credit</h2>
<p>A good definition of implicit bias comes from the <a href="http://kirwaninstitute.osu.edu/research/understanding-implicit-bias/">Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity</a> at The Ohio State University. Implicit bias “refers to the attitudes and stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions and decisions in an unconscious manner.” These biases are involuntary – we can be totally unaware of how they affect our assessments of others. </p>
<p>For example, people must work in teams in many jobs. It can be hard for an outsider to accurately assess the effectiveness and competency of each team member. Are women seen as “free riders” on the work that their male collaborators do?</p>
<p><a href="https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/aer.p20171126">One recent study</a> explored how this can affect economics professors. It found that male and female professors had similar rates of being approved for tenure if their body of research consisted mostly of solo-authored research. </p>
<p>But the story was different when it came to co-authored articles. In economics research, authors’ names are listed alphabetically, not in order of how much work was done. That makes it difficult to determine which author made which contribution. The study found that for each co-authored paper a man had, his probability of getting tenure increased by 8 percentage points. For a woman, each co-authored paper increased her probability of getting tenure by only 2 percentage points. </p>
<p>But a further division of the data shows as well that it matters which gender were her co-authors. If she had all female co-authors on a paper, this additional paper resulted in the same probability of receiving tenure as any co-authored paper by a male. But if all of her co-authors on a paper were male, this additional paper had no increase to her probability of being approved for tenure.</p>
<h1>Preferences for male candidates</h1>
<p>Unfair gender stereotypes result in male entrepreneurs receiving more funding for their businesses and male job candidates being more likely to be interviewed.</p>
<p>A unique <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/etap.12275/full">study of venture capital funding decisions</a> transcribed the conversations of a group of venture capitalists – two women and five men – as they decided whether and how much funding to give to male and female entrepreneurs. The venture capitalists didn’t believe that they had any gender bias in their decision-making. </p>
<p>However, the female entrepreneurs who applied to this group were less likely to receive funding and received smaller amounts. An analysis of the venture capitalists’ conversations with each other showed that the male entrepreneurs were stereotypically described as being more competent than the female entrepreneurs.</p>
<p><a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0003122416668154">Another study</a> sent out nearly identical fake resumes to real summer internships for law students. The qualifications were identical. The only differences in the resumes were using traditionally male or female names and including varied descriptions of hobbies and financial aid scholarships, which subtly signaled the applicant’s “high” or “low” socioeconomic status.</p>
<p>Resumes of males with hobbies associated with higher-class backgrounds – such as sailing or classical music – received significantly more callbacks than the resumes of the higher-class females. They also received more callbacks than lower-class males and females with hobbies such as soccer or country music. </p>
<p>The researchers solicited the opinions of practicing lawyers on the applicants’ likability and potential fit with their firm’s culture. Once again, these attorneys preferred to interview the higher-class male applicants. The attorneys indicated that they did not think the lower-class applicants would be good fits for their firms’ cultures. They also believed that the higher-class women would be more likely to have work-family conflicts that would impair their effectiveness at work. </p>
<h2>Eliminating implicit bias</h2>
<p>These studies are just a few examples of many with similar results. Implicit bias is evident in a wide range of occupations and women do suffer economic harm with less funding for their businesses, fewer job offers and fewer promotions. </p>
<p>Despite what the author of the Google memo argues, companies should try to eliminate implicit bias on both principles of fairness and of efficiency – to hire the worker who will actually be the most effective for the job. While “diversity training” can make us more <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/record/2016-43598-001">mindful of our thoughts</a>, by itself it will not eliminate the impact of implicit biases. What needs to also change are the <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/hrm.20033/full">hiring and promotion processes</a>, which fortunately many businesses today are starting to do. </p>
<p>The questions companies <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/seven-steps-to-reduce-bias-in-hiring-1487646840?mod=e2fb">should be asking themselves include</a>: Do job advertisements use gender-neutral language? How much demographic information should be requested on the application? Are there new methods of advertising job openings that will reach a more diverse group of applicants? Are performance evaluation systems evaluated for gender neutrality?</p>
<p>One classic study of the impact of removing any potential gender bias in the hiring process comes from symphony orchestras. To become employed in an orchestra, the applicant must give an audition. Many orchestras have adopted “blind auditions,” in which hiring committees can hear but not see the applicant. Economists who <a href="https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/aer.90.4.715">examined data from 1970 to 1996 of this revised hiring process</a> found that this practice increased the likelihood that a female musician would be hired by 25 percent. </p>
<p>The young women that I teach are outstanding leaders and scholars. Only the organizations that are eliminating implicit bias will receive the full economic benefit to their bottom line when they hire and promote these qualified women.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/82568/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>E. Anne York is affiliated with the North Carolina Internship Council. </span></em></p>Even after years of federal and state laws making discrimination illegal, implicit bias still leads to actual economic harm for women.E. Anne York, Professor of Economics, Meredith CollegeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/731222017-02-22T03:26:57Z2017-02-22T03:26:57ZBusiness students willing to sacrifice future salary for good corporate social responsibility: study<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/157817/original/image-20170222-20331-bqw9ch.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The study found business students were concerned about their future employers' corporate social responsibility.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mays Business School/Flickr</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>More than 90% of business students in a study on corporate social responsibility said they would be willing to sacrifice some percentage of their future salary to work for a responsible employer. A surprising number of 14% are willing to sacrifice more than 40% of their future income to do so.</p>
<p>However business students who were also employed full or part time were willing to sacrifice less of their future income than other participants. Those employed made up more than 60% of participants (30% occupying management positions).</p>
<p>While it’s easy to sacrifice a non-existing salary, these results show how committed business students are when it comes to working for socially responsible companies. It also sends a strong signal to both business schools and potential employers.</p>
<p>As part of a UN initiative <a href="http://www.unprme.org/about-prme/index.php">Principals for Responsible Management Education</a>, we conduct a <a href="http://www.unprme.org/resource-docs/MGSMPRMEReport2016.pdf">biannual global study</a> on the attitudes of business students. The survey asks them about their values and personal responsibility; attitudes towards corporate social responsibility and the importance of working for responsible employers. </p>
<p>More than 1,700 business students from 40 countries participated in the latest survey in 2016. Students were at both at the undergraduate (40%) and postgraduate (60%) level and the most participants lived in Brazil (17%), India (13%), US (13%) and the Netherlands (12%). </p>
<p>Participants were aged between 17 to 69 years, but more than half were in their 20s and 46% were females. More than 60% of the respondents were working either full time or part time and 30% occupied managerial positions. </p>
<p>Overall, it was more important for female students that their employers were ethical, sustainable and cared about their employees.</p>
<p>We <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1467-8594.00167/full">defined corporate social responsibility</a> in this study as business decision making that is linked to ethical values, compliance with legal requirements, and respect for people, communities, and the environment around the world. We then asked the students to indicate their level of agreement with 11 corporate social responsibility and ethics statements, from one (strongly disagree) to five (strongly agree). </p>
<p>Most business students we surveyed showed positive attitudes towards corporate social responsibility and responsible management education. Approximately 75% of students agreed with the following statements: “companies should do a lot more for society and the environment”; that “social responsibility and profitability can be compatible”; and that “business has a social responsibility beyond making profits”. </p>
<p>Most students disagreed that “the most important concern for a firm is making a profit, even if it means bending or breaking the rules”. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/157812/original/image-20170222-20326-m6op36.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/157812/original/image-20170222-20326-m6op36.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/157812/original/image-20170222-20326-m6op36.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=411&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/157812/original/image-20170222-20326-m6op36.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=411&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/157812/original/image-20170222-20326-m6op36.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=411&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/157812/original/image-20170222-20326-m6op36.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=517&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/157812/original/image-20170222-20326-m6op36.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=517&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/157812/original/image-20170222-20326-m6op36.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=517&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What students see as good corporate social responsibility</h2>
<p>In the 1980s and 1990s <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167268100001116">several studies</a> showed that business students were more <a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1023%2FA%3A1017957210848?LI=true">unethical</a> and more corruptible than students in any other faculty. They tended to cheat more on exams and thought that it was okay to bend the rules to maximise profit. </p>
<p>The next decade, the 2000s, witnessed some of the greatest business <a href="http://www.accounting-degree.org/scandals/">scandals</a>. From Enron in 2001, via Worldcom (2002) and AIG (2005) to the more recent Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal (2015), these business scandals brought people’s trust in corporations to a new low. </p>
<p>Fingers were pointed at business schools, by <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0007650303262638">academics</a>, business and the <a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/122940/business-schools-breed-unethical-businessmen">media</a>, for being partially responsible for the lack of ethical business leadership. </p>
<p>As the president of Texas A&M University, Robert Gates, said in a <a href="http://provost.tamu.edu/special-events/academic-convocation-folder/academic-convocation-archives-pages/2002-academic-convocation-and-investiture">speech</a> in the aftermath of Enron’s collapse: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“All of these liars and cheats and thieves are graduates of our universities.” </p>
</blockquote>
<p>The values associated with corporate social responsibility at that time were neatly summarised in 1991 by academic Archie Carroll. He developed a well known <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/000768139190005G">pyramid</a> outlining how employees and business managers saw corporate social responsibility, ranking business responsibilities in importance from financial, then onto legal, ethical and philanthropic. Although he later argued that all four should be achieved together. </p>
<p>Our survey results suggest that this might be changing. Business students who participated in our study demonstrated a set of values that could lead to higher levels of corporate social responsibility in the future. </p>
<p>The students were asked to rank the four business responsibilities in the way they perceived as the right order of importance. The results, shown in the below figure, are an alternative way of seeing business responsibilities, with ethical and legal as the most important and financial responsibilities only following these two. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/157808/original/image-20170222-20310-1pflfo1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/157808/original/image-20170222-20310-1pflfo1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/157808/original/image-20170222-20310-1pflfo1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=286&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/157808/original/image-20170222-20310-1pflfo1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=286&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/157808/original/image-20170222-20310-1pflfo1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=286&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/157808/original/image-20170222-20310-1pflfo1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=359&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/157808/original/image-20170222-20310-1pflfo1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=359&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/157808/original/image-20170222-20310-1pflfo1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=359&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Pyramid of corporate social responsibility.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Interestingly, female students prioritised ethical and social responsibilities while males ranked financial responsibility higher. For working students, particularly in managerial jobs, it was more important to hold ethical and legal responsibilities rather than give money to charity.</p>
<p>The students were also asked to rank ten life goals and values on a five point scale, from “not at all important” to “absolutely essential”. Over half (53.9%) the students reported that “living a happy and comfortable life” was absolutely essential, making it the top life goal for them. Only 12.6% ranked “making a lot of money” absolutely essential, bringing it last on this least. However, 39.5% of students said that making money was fairly important. Males ranked “making a lot of money” as more important than females. </p>
<p>The results of the third round of this international study send a clear message to both business schools and companies that want to attract business graduates.</p>
<p>The findings show that the best way to win the war for talent is by genuinely leading sustainable and responsible companies. These companies need to exhibit all aspects of responsibility and communicate this to potential employees. </p>
<p>People who will join businesses in the future, particularly females, hold very high expectations of them. There is a great opportunity to rise to the occasion.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/73122/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Results from a study of business students show how committed they are when it comes to working for socially responsible companies.Debbie Haski-Leventhal, Associate Professor in Management, Macquarie Graduate School of ManagementMehrdokht (Medo) Pournader, Lecturer in Operations Management and Organizational Behavior, Macquarie Graduate School of ManagementLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/673272016-10-20T12:15:37Z2016-10-20T12:15:37ZBritain’s great meritocracy gap – why businesses must widen their talent pool<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/142496/original/image-20161020-8828-cjecc9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C635%2C4004%2C3212&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Britain’s new prime minister has put meritocracy <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/britain-the-great-meritocracy-prime-ministers-speech">at the heart of her government’s agenda</a>. It’s a noble goal. This idea of allowing those with the most talent to rise to the top of society and occupy the best jobs must surely be good for society. Similarly, attracting and promoting the best talent has to be good for business.</p>
<p>Rising <a href="https://www.equalitytrust.org.uk/wealth-tracker-2016">wealth inequality</a>, however, suggests that the UK has a long way to go to becoming a meritocratic society. If Theresa May wants to make Britain a place where people have “the chance to go as far as their talents will take them”, businesses need to look very carefully at how they recruit and select their future leaders. </p>
<p>Recent research we’ve worked on for the government’s Social Mobility Commission, into the workings of professions such as <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/434791/A_qualitative_evaluation_of_non-educational_barriers_to_the_elite_professions.pdf">law, accounting</a> and <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/549994/Socio-economic_diversity_in_life_sciences_and_investment_banking.pdf">investment banking</a> in the City of London suggests that the way meritocracy is discussed can actually curtail opportunities for social mobility. The findings show that new, more formal recruitment techniques offer the illusion that the City is “<a href="http://www.managementtoday.co.uk/forget-brown-shoes-investment-banks-fiercely-meritocratic/any-other-business/article/1407668#z87QqdbdxugUyAir.991">fiercely meritocratic</a>”. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/142490/original/image-20161020-8869-4w3piu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/142490/original/image-20161020-8869-4w3piu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/142490/original/image-20161020-8869-4w3piu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/142490/original/image-20161020-8869-4w3piu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/142490/original/image-20161020-8869-4w3piu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/142490/original/image-20161020-8869-4w3piu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/142490/original/image-20161020-8869-4w3piu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/142490/original/image-20161020-8869-4w3piu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Theresa May has made the case for meritocracy.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/number10gov/29457570052/in/dateposted/">Number 10</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Yet it remains significantly more difficult for hard-working, talented people from lower socio-economic groups to gain access to these top jobs, compared to their more privileged peers. In particular, there is a disproportionate number of people working in the elite professions who have been privately educated. Research by social mobility charity <a href="http://www.suttontrust.com/researcharchive/pathways-banking/">the Sutton Trust</a>
recently found that while 7% of the general population attends a fee-paying school, 34% of new entrants to the banking sector were privately educated, rising to 69% of those working in private equity.</p>
<h2>Appearances can be deceptive</h2>
<p>Organisations certainly cannot be blamed for looking to recruit the most talented students to work for them and in many ways the recruitment and selection processes adopted by elite firms appear to be meritocratic and fair – everyone is judged by the same yardstick. The difficulty arises when trying to assess what is meant by talent. </p>
<p>Elite professions largely equate talent with good A-Level grades and a degree from a narrow range of the “top” universities. At first glance, pre-screening of applicants based on A-Level results may seem a fair way of dealing with large numbers of recruits. But A-Level performance is <a href="https://theconversation.com/social-mobility-why-does-private-school-give-you-such-a-leg-up-45739">strongly correlated with social background</a>, which serves to disadvantage certain groups. Similarly, focusing on students who have gained degrees at elite universities might appear sensible, but those universities are themselves more likely to recruit students <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-30939926">from privileged backgrounds</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/142498/original/image-20161020-8852-1gnpqu3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/142498/original/image-20161020-8852-1gnpqu3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=345&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/142498/original/image-20161020-8852-1gnpqu3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=345&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/142498/original/image-20161020-8852-1gnpqu3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=345&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/142498/original/image-20161020-8852-1gnpqu3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=434&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/142498/original/image-20161020-8852-1gnpqu3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=434&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/142498/original/image-20161020-8852-1gnpqu3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=434&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Privilege persists throughout education.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">shutterstock.com</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Less objective aspects of the recruitment process can further disadvantage those from lower socio-economic backgrounds. For example, final stage interviews with senior staff are often used to judge whether the applicant would fit into the firm. We were told repeatedly in interviews we conducted with staff across law, accounting and investment banking how important it is that candidates are “polished” and give off the “right” impression. </p>
<p>This may seem logical in a competitive, client-facing environment, but, as our interviewees explained, applicants who have the necessary intellect and aptitude can be rejected purely because they are wearing the “wrong” tie. Plus, an increasingly early start to the recruitment cycle involves applying for internships either before or in the first year of university study. This means that if applicants lack the social networks which provide knowledge about opportunities they are likely to miss out. Thus, the status quo is maintained and it is difficult for those from less privileged backgrounds to access elite professions.</p>
<h2>Redefining talent</h2>
<p>So what can these firms do? Some are clearly working on this and the increase in apprenticeships and post-18 entrance schemes in accounting has been one response. Other leading firms have introduced the use of <a href="http://www2.deloitte.com/uk/en/pages/press-releases/articles/largest-british-business-to-adopt-contextualised-recruitment.html">contextual data</a>, which allows them to see how applicants compare to peers at their school, to help them judge A-Level results. And many firms engage with third sector organisations such as the Sutton Trust and the Social Mobility Foundation to offer outreach programmes and work experience. These have been successful up to a point, yet change appears slow. </p>
<p>In order to facilitate further change it is important that firms measure and monitor the social background of both new recruits and current employees; examine all aspects of how they attract and select applicants and consider ring-fencing opportunities for internships from non-traditional candidates. </p>
<p>They should also think critically about how they define merit. Should a candidate’s background be taken into account when making judgements about how they present themselves? If Britain is to be the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/britain-the-great-meritocracy-prime-ministers-speech">“world’s great meritocracy”</a>, firms need to focus on selecting applicants on the basis of their potential to develop the attributes of a good professional, not the polish that comes with a more privileged background.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/67327/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Joanne Duberley received funding from the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission to undertake the research upon which this article is based. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Louise Ashley received funding from the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission to undertake the research upon which this article is based. </span></em></p>Research shows that the way meritocracy is discussed can actually curtail opportunities for social mobility.Joanne Duberley, Professor of Organisation Studies, University of BirminghamLouise Ashley, Lecturer in Organization Studies, Royal Holloway University of LondonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/516922015-12-08T12:30:40Z2015-12-08T12:30:40ZWhat the David and Goliath story teaches business about getting ahead<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/104694/original/image-20151207-3147-15pwghf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">It doesn't have to be an uphill battle.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In the famous Bible story, the young boy David beat Goliath by using a strategy Goliath wasn’t expecting. Instead of fighting the giant in the conventional way – with armour and sword – he used a slingshot and stones to fell him. It’s a lesson that Malcolm Gladwell draws on in his <a href="http://gladwell.com/david-and-goliath/">latest book</a>, which charts the success of underdogs throughout history. And it’s a lesson that many businesses can learn from.</p>
<p>Getting the best talent is a key factor, particularly when your company is a “David” competing against an incumbent “Goliath”. To win this “unfair” competition for talent you need to do something the Goliath tends not to do. <a href="http://www.futilitycloset.com/2011/07/19/the-linda-problem/">The following question</a> helps us understand how and why.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Linda is 31-years-old, single, outspoken, and very bright. She majored in philosophy. As a student, she was deeply concerned with issues of discrimination and social justice, and also participated in antinuclear demonstrations. </p>
<p>Which is more probable? </p>
<p>(1) Linda is a bank teller. </p>
<p>(2) Linda is a bank teller and is active in the feminist movement.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The common answer is (2). But the probability of both events occurring together (Linda being a bank teller and active in the feminist movement) cannot be greater than the first one alone.</p>
<p>This classic “Linda problem” was developed by the famous behavioural scientists <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/rev/90/4/293/">Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman</a>. They argue that people can quickly and easily come up with a stereotype based on the description about Linda and then judge the second statement to be more similar to that stereotype. The image of an active feminist is so vivid that people cannot associate that with a (duller stereotype of) bank teller. </p>
<p>Our minds think like this all the time because the mental shortcut often saves time and energy and it is usually reasonably accurate. A similar phenomenon was famously documented in the book and film Moneyball. It told the story of the struggling Oakland A’s who, despite having one of the lowest payrolls in Major League Baseball, were able to win as many games as Goliaths like the New York Yankees.</p>
<p>In Major League Baseball, many team scouts and managers evaluate the potential of young players based on whether they have the right “look” – one that’s similar to the stereotype of star players. When you can get it right more than 70% of the time and it only takes you, literally, a quick look, why bother checking players’ statistics? </p>
<p>The Oakland A’s exploited the blind spot of the bigger teams in the league by hiring against stereotype. Prediction based on stereotype is reasonably good but entails two pitfalls: (1) a false positive error (hiring a person who fits the stereotype but does not really have the talent) and (2) a false negative error (omitting a person who does not fit in the stereotype but actually has superior talent). </p>
<p>It is the false negative errors made by Goliath teams that smaller teams can exploit. And they can gain advantage by paying the underdogs less than they are actually worth because they have been undervalued due to stereotype bias. </p>
<p>Companies have adopted similar strategies. The corporate law firm Clifford Chance, for example, employed a CV blind strategy in the UK <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/student/news/exclusive-law-firm-clifford-chance-adopts-cv-blind-policy-to-break-oxbridge-recruitment-bias-9050227.html">to break the Oxbridge recruitment bias</a>. A degree from Oxford or Cambridge is so salient that it easily creates a stereotype of elite and means many UK legal firms are <a href="http://www.legalweek.com/legal-week/analysis/2354461/the-oxbridge-conveyor-belt-a-progress-report-on-law-firms-efforts-to-widen-the-graduate-recruitment-pool">over-represented by their graduates</a>. </p>
<p>Of course, many of them are competent. But inevitably some Oxbridge graduates are overrated and become disappointments due to false positive mistakes. More importantly, firms can omit hidden gems from other universities due to false negative mistakes. Clifford Chance’s CV blind strategy forces evaluators to judge candidates’ potential based on track records instead of using the stereotype shortcut. </p>
<p>Similarly, many organisations have vowed to adopt a name-blind policy <a href="http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e5aef384-7b36-11e5-a1fe-567b37f80b64.html#axzz3te9WVIal">to fight against racism</a>. This strategy should be even more appealing for smaller firms because hiring against the negative stereotype can help them identify hidden, undervalued gems that others overlook. </p>
<p>Goliaths often fail to learn from this mistake of being influenced by stereotypes when hiring talent. Successful firms tend to be overconfident and have little incentive to change strategy. On the one hand, missing hidden gems is an invisible error – employers rarely follow what happens to the candidates they reject. Moreover, those hired are trained and developed so they can perform competently even when they were really false positive hires. But this can falsely boost Goliath’s confidence in the stereotype hiring strategy. The implication is that the Goliath tends to develop a blind spot naturally, awaiting some smart David to exploit them. </p>
<p>One caveat for David companies that discover a winning way to do things differently: keep the success to yourself. The Oakland A’s did the opposite and let Michael Lewis write a bestseller on their strategy. The publication of Moneyball in 2003 marked the decline of their performances because the Goliaths started imitating their approach. There is a trade off between your ego and success: if you want to keep beating the competition, don’t let others know how you did it.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/51692/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Chengwei Liu does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>How to beat Goliath when competing for the best talent: hire against stereotype and keep quiet when you find the right formula.Chengwei Liu, Associate Professor of Strategy and Behavioural Science, Warwick Business School, University of WarwickLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/438972015-07-21T10:18:35Z2015-07-21T10:18:35ZHere’s how minority job seekers battle bias in the hiring process<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/89083/original/image-20150720-14732-1keuujx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">What's a better strategy: cast a wide net or tailor it narrowly?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Classified ad via www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Discrimination in the hiring process has limited the opportunities available to both racial minorities – such as African Americans – and women, with important consequences for their well-being and careers.</p>
<p>For example, research <a href="http://www.nber.org/papers/w9873">has shown</a> that white job applicants receive 50% more callbacks for interviews than equally qualified African American applicants. And, in the low-wage labor market, scholars <a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/374403">have found</a> that African American men <em>without</em> criminal records receive similar callback rates for interviews as white men just released from prison. Researchers have also <a href="http://www.nber.org/papers/w5024">documented</a> discrimination in hiring against women, with particularly strong penalties against <a href="http://gender.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/motherhoodpenalty.pdf">mothers</a>.</p>
<p>But how does this reality affect these groups – African Americans and women – as they hunt for jobs? Do they tailor their searches narrowly to help them avoid discrimination, sticking to job opportunities deemed “appropriate” for them? Or do they cast a wider net with the hopes of maximizing their chances of finding a job that does not discriminate?</p>
<p>Until now, we have known little about this issue, largely because no existing data source has closely followed individuals through their job search. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/681072?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents">New research</a> that we recently published in the American Journal of Sociology attempts to address this limitation by drawing on two original datasets that track job seekers and the positions to which they apply.</p>
<p>The results of our study point to three general conclusions about the job search process: </p>
<ol>
<li><p>African Americans cast a wider net than whites while searching for work</p></li>
<li><p>women tend to apply to a narrower set of job types than men, often targeting roles that have historically been dominated by women</p></li>
<li><p>past experiences of discrimination appear to drive, at least in part, the broader job search patterns of African Americans.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>On an important side note, these racial differences exist for both men and women and these gender differences exist for both whites and African Americans.</p>
<p>Let’s go into a little more detail on these three main findings.</p>
<h2>Casting a wide net</h2>
<p>Our analysis shows that African Americans apply to a greater range of job types with a broader range of occupational characteristics than similar whites. </p>
<p>For example, one of our survey respondents was previously employed as a “material moving worker.” Over the course of the survey, this respondent applied for jobs consistent with his prior work experience, such as “material handler” and “warehouse worker.” </p>
<p>However, the respondent also reported applying for jobs in retail sales, as an IT technician, a delivery driver, a security guard, a mail-room clerk and a short order cook. This respondent applied to jobs in a total of seven distinct occupations over the course of the survey, which represents a fairly broad approach to job search. </p>
<p>While this is just one example, it was typical. In both of the datasets we examined, African Americans systematically applied to a larger number of distinct job types than whites with similar levels of education and work experience. </p>
<h2>Women and self-selection</h2>
<p>Our study demonstrates that women pursued a search strategy very different than that of African Americans.</p>
<p>Women appeared to self-select into distinctive occupational categories consistent with historically gendered job types, such as office and administrative support positions. </p>
<p>During their job search, women also applied to a narrower range of occupations than men with similar education and work experience. </p>
<p>For example, women wanting to work in retail sales were more likely to apply strictly for that type of position during their job search. Men with similar aspirations, on the other hand, were more likely to branch out and apply to adjacent job types, such as wholesale, advertising or insurance sales.</p>
<h2>Past discrimination drives blacks’ behavior</h2>
<p>So what accounts for these race and gender differences in how people search for a job?</p>
<p>For African American job seekers, we found that perceptions of or experiences with racial discrimination played an important role in explaining their greater search breadth.</p>
<p>In one of the surveys we conducted, we asked job seekers about their experiences with racial discrimination at work. In our analysis, we found that individuals who reported that they had previously observed or experienced racial discrimination in the workplace were more likely to cast a wide net in their job search compared with those without such experience.</p>
<h2>A gender-segregated workforce</h2>
<p>But if discrimination, in part, drives the search behavior of African Americans, why do we not see similar adaptations by women, who also undoubtedly face employment discrimination? </p>
<p>We suspect the answer is related to the deeper and more explicit nature of gender inequality in the labor market. Occupations remain highly <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1468-232X.2012.00674.x/abstract;jsessionid=5977E75500AD49446A17155857B8C0A8.f01t02?userIsAuthenticated=false&deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=">segregated by gender</a>, and individuals from an early age can identify male- and female-typed jobs. </p>
<p>This reality affects women’s <a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/321299?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents">occupational aspirations</a> as well as perceptions of the <a href="http://asr.sagepub.com/content/69/1/93.short">constraints</a> they may encounter when deviating from gendered patterns. In either scenario, women’s self-selection into female-typed occupations may allow them to avoid jobs where they are more likely to experience discrimination. At the same time, this strategy likely reproduces gender segregation at work, which is an important source of gender inequality. </p>
<p>For African Americans, things are quite different. There are far fewer readily identifiable “black” or “white” jobs. The barriers facing African American job seekers can pop up across the labor market. Thus, it is more difficult for African Americans to target jobs where they will be able to avoid discrimination. </p>
<p>But a broad job search allows black job seekers to reach otherwise difficult-to-identify job opportunities in which racial discrimination is less prevalent. Given the challenges of anticipating where and when discrimination is likely to occur, applying to a broad set of job types raises the probability that an African American job seeker will apply to a job that does not discriminate.</p>
<h2>Key consequences and takeaways</h2>
<p>Job search strategies matter and can make a big difference in everything from lifetime earnings to potential career opportunities. </p>
<p>We find that broad search is associated with being more likely to receive a job offer, but also with receiving lower wage offers. Thus, job seekers appear to face a trade-off between the goals of finding any job and finding a good job. The broader search patterns among African Americans, therefore, may reduce some of the employment gap but contribute to the long-standing racial disparity in wages. </p>
<p>Second, to the extent that broad search leads job seekers to occupations that are different from their past work experiences, this strategy may limit African Americans’ ability to build coherent careers that are consistent with their experience and aspirations. Given significant racial differences in search breadth, these dynamics are likely to contribute to persistent racial inequalities in labor market outcomes. </p>
<p>In the case of women, limiting the scope of their search likely reinforces existing patterns of occupational segregation, which has consequences for the <a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/2782402?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents">gender earnings gap</a> and implications for other forms of persistent gender inequality.</p>
<h2>Where does this leave us?</h2>
<p>Together, the findings from our study suggest that the job search process plays an important role in shaping, reinforcing and sometimes counteracting inequality in the labor market. </p>
<p>At the same time, discrimination and other barriers to employment must be considered to fully understand how labor market inequality is generated. </p>
<p>And, as the comparison of race and gender suggests, how individuals adapt to workplace barriers can take different forms and have distinct consequences. </p>
<p>Our research points to the importance of systematically examining both job search processes as well as discriminatory behavior and other constraints in the workplace if we hope to fully understand and rectify persistent racial and gender inequalities in the labor market.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/43897/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David S. Pedulla receives funding from the Russell Sage Foundation and the UC-Davis Center for Poverty Research. His previous research has received funding from the National Science Foundation, the Horowitz Foundation for Social Policy, and the Employment Instability, Family Well-Being, and Social Policy Network.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Devah Pager receives funding from the Russell Sage Foundation. She has previously received funding from the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Health. </span></em></p>Past hiring discrimination appears to lead African Americans to cast a wide net, while women tend to seek out roles historically associated with their gender.David S. Pedulla, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology & Population Research Center, The University of Texas at Austin College of Liberal ArtsDevah Pager, Professor of Sociology and Public Policy, Harvard UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/412212015-05-06T08:01:43Z2015-05-06T08:01:43Z‘Class ceiling’ in workplace suppresses the American dream<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/80499/original/image-20150505-936-s6yjhq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Elite students get elite jobs.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/s/elite+school/search.html?page=2&thumb_size=mosaic&inline=6485857">Certificate image via www.shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The American dream of equal opportunity, based on the conviction that intelligence, hard work and character are the keys to success, may be on life support. These days <a href="http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/reports/0001/01/01/moving-on-up">children raised at the top or bottom fifths of the income pyramid tend to stay there, even as adults</a>. </p>
<p>Higher education is considered a major contributor to economic success. Parental income, a strong predictor of admission to elite universities, <a href="https://www.ntpu.edu.tw/social/upload/P_420100307132431.pdf">doubled</a> in importance from 1982-1992 and has continued to rise. </p>
<p>Now, Lauren Rivera, an associate professor at the <a href="http://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/">Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University</a>, shows us through her new book, <a href="http://press.princeton.edu/titles/10457.html">Pedigree: How Elite Students Get Elite Jobs</a>, how those at the bottom of the income ladder are stuck, as it is the socioeconomically privileged students who tend to get a disproportionate share of elite jobs.</p>
<h2>College matters</h2>
<p>Rivera draws on in-depth interviews and first-hand observations of hiring practices at top-tier investment banks, law firms and consulting companies to reveal how the playing field is tilted toward affluent students. </p>
<p>In the definition and evaluation of merit, a “class ceiling” gets created for their less affluent classmates. Higher education and employment, she indicates, are “interlocking systems of social stratification.”</p>
<p>Convinced that having employees from prestigious colleges and universities enhances a firm’s status, recruiters tend to spend the vast majority of their time with graduates of 15 to 20 institutions. </p>
<p>They sort resumes rapidly, spending between 10 seconds and four minutes on each and bypassing cover letters (fewer than 15% reported even looking at them).</p>
<p>The qualities most commonly used to sort applications, in descending order, are school prestige, extracurricular activities and grades. Well down the line are standardized tests, previous employment and diversity. </p>
<p>Rivera reports that many evaluators believe that attendance at a lesser-ranked institution constitutes evidence of a slip up somewhere along the line and/or warrants “a question mark” around analytical ability.</p>
<p>The remaining steps of the screening process further skew the competition toward children from privileged families. </p>
<p>Applicants who were not involved in formalized, high-status extracurricular activities (rock-climbing, lacrosse, cello playing, unpaid internships at organizations with a brand name) were judged unlikely to fit into “a fraternity of smart people” – and did not often move to the interview stage. </p>
<h2>The interview process</h2>
<p>Working-class students, Rivera reminds us, have fewer opportunities to participate in such activities. And, ironically, their conviction that employees really care more about grades and tangible skills than extracurricular activities “constrains, not expands, the types of jobs and incomes available to them when they graduate.” </p>
<p>During the interviews, Rivera points out, the response of the applicant to a concrete “case study” problem can be determinative, especially for consulting firms. </p>
<p>Far more often, however, it’s all about “the fit.” </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/80505/original/image-20150505-933-9ab1wj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/80505/original/image-20150505-933-9ab1wj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=387&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/80505/original/image-20150505-933-9ab1wj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=387&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/80505/original/image-20150505-933-9ab1wj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=387&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/80505/original/image-20150505-933-9ab1wj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=487&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/80505/original/image-20150505-933-9ab1wj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=487&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/80505/original/image-20150505-933-9ab1wj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=487&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Class matters when it comes to hiring.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/cat.mhtml?lang=en&language=en&ref_site=photo&search_source=search_form&version=llv1&anyorall=all&safesearch=1&use_local_boost=1&search_tracking_id=Wnz7oJjeCCBxjHXXYMcSlw&searchterm=job%20education&show_color_wheel=1&orient=&commercial_ok=&media_type=images&search_cat=&searchtermx=&photographer_name=&people_gender=&people_age=&people_ethnicity=&people_number=&color=&page=1&inline=164369231">Candidates' image via www.shutterstock.com</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Interviewers saw fit more in terms of the personality traits conducive to the creation of a tight-knit workplace than the social and communication skills for assessing and attending to client needs. </p>
<p>They sought “surface-level demographic diversity in applicant pools,” Rivera writes, “but deep-level cultural homogeneity in new hires.”</p>
<p>Interviewers also rewarded applicants who told compelling life stories that emphasized individual choice, freedom, passion and control. </p>
<p>Bootstrapping narratives can subvert existing socioeconomic and racial biases in hiring. However, Rivera suggests, quite often individuals who come from disadvantaged backgrounds are reluctant to disclose personal information to a stranger in a workplace setting.</p>
<p>In firms where teamwork and client satisfaction are important, interpersonal qualities are deemed as important as job-relevant skills. </p>
<p>Convinced that a baseline of intelligence is sufficient, evaluators are content to “outsource” screening for “skills and smarts” to elite universities – and to make selections that privilege fit and polish. </p>
<p>“Of course class matters,” a banker told Rivera. “It comes through in the way you speak, the language you use, the way you dress and the general impression that you give off when you talk to someone.”</p>
<h2>A class-based society</h2>
<p>Rivera makes a compelling case that although on the surface the United States is a meritocracy and committed to equal opportunity, in fact it is “creating a rigid class hierarchy based on ascription and birth.” </p>
<p>To be sure, some individuals from modest backgrounds get hired by elite organizations; their success is sometimes cited as evidence of a selection process free of bias and based on ability rather than pedigree. </p>
<p>Despite the popular narratives that highlight these successes, Rivera’s book adds to already abundant evidence that “movement from the very bottom to the very top of the economic ladder has become exceedingly rare,” in higher education and employment, despite metrics that on the surface are class-neutral.</p>
<p>Moreover, since social class has not been deemed a protected status under the law, discrimination on its basis remains legal.</p>
<p>For as long as the reputation of organizations are tied to the status of its employees, current practices are likely to remain in place. </p>
<p>To bring change, each of us will need to recognize the high economic and ethical costs of inequality and take ever more affirmative action to level the playing field in all aspects of American culture and society.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/41221/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Glenn Altschuler does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Even though America claims to be a society based on hard work and meritocracy, rewards go only to those with the right college degree.Glenn Altschuler, Thomas and Dorothy Litwin Professor of American Studies and Dean of the School of Continuing Education and Summer Sessions , Cornell UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.