Blind recruitment: What is it and why should your company use it?
Blind recruitment is an approach to recruitment that aims to eliminate bias and ensure hiring decisions are made based on candidates' skills rather than factors such as gender, age, ethnicity or educational institution. It has gained increasing popularity as it helps companies build more diverse and inclusive teams.
In this article, we dive into what blind recruitment is, how it can be implemented, and why it's an important strategy for modern businesses.
What is blind recruitment?
Blind recruitment is a process where certain information about candidates is anonymized in the application and screening process. This can include:
- Name
- Age
- Image
- Gender
By removing this information, recruiters can focus on the qualifications that really matter, such as hard skills, soft skills, work experience and achievements.
How it works in practice
An effective blind recruitment system makes it possible to anonymize applications so that the recruitment process is based solely on factors relevant to the job. For example, a platform like Elvium's recruitment system can facilitate blind recruitment in the following ways:
- Anonymizing candidates
Personal information such as name and picture is removed from applications. This ensures that the focus is solely on qualifications and experience. - Screening based on skills
The recruitment system allows you to assess candidates on their hard skills, such as HTML and CSS for a front-end developer, or their soft skills, such as collaboration and problem solving. - Filtering via yes/no questions
For positions with specific requirements, the recruitment system can include yes/no questions. For example, if a candidate needs a high driver's license to do the job, this requirement can easily be included in the screening. Candidates who do not meet the criteria can be filtered out.
Benefits of blind recruitment
Blind recruitment offers a number of benefits that not only benefit the hiring process, but also the company as a whole. Here are some of the most common benefits:
- Strengthens diversity
By eliminating biased decisions, blind recruitment ensures that candidates are assessed fairly. This increases the chances of creating more diverse teams, which is known to improve innovation and productivity. This is also a focus area in ESG, among other things.
- Focus on the right skills
When applications are assessed without the distraction of irrelevant factors, it's easier to find the best qualified candidate.
- Reduces the risk of bias
People have natural biases, conscious or unconscious, that can influence hiring decisions. Blind recruitment minimizes this risk and ensures a fairer process.
- Streamlines the screening process
With a system that supports blind recruitment, companies can quickly and efficiently filter candidates, saving time and resources.
How to get your business started
To implement blind recruitment, your company can consider the following steps:
- Invest in a modern recruitment system
Choose a system like Elvium that supports anonymization and competency-based screening. See our solution on a live demo. - Define clear criteria for the positions
Make sure you set clear requirements for the position so that the screening is targeted. This could be requirements such as specific technical skills or specific achievements.
Blind recruitment and the future of recruitment
With diversity and inclusion high on the agenda, blind recruitment is a powerful tool to ensure companies don't miss out on talent due to unconscious bias. With the right technology and approach, companies can not only strengthen their recruitment processes, but also create a fairer and more innovative work environment.
Listen to our podcast episode on Talent Acquisition, where Heidi Wassini talks about blind recruitment and the future of TA.
