Resourcing | Why HR should be using 'blind recruitment' tactics

Every employer wants to be seen as a non-bias hirer when it comes to the recruitment process, as hiring managers want to ensure they are considering every possible candidate for the role they are seeking to fill.

There’s no question that some have been guilty of ‘unconscious bias’, a term that ACAS defines as a scenario where people favour candidates who look like them and share their values. According to a 2017 study by digital recruitment platform SomeoneWho, nearly half (48%) admitted that bias affects their candidate choice, while 20% said they couldn’t be sure if bias affected their decisions.

Plus, you only need to take a look at recent news headlines where jobseekers have had their hopes slashed after a recruiter or hiring manager rejected them for a role based on their name, gender or choice of makeup and tattoos.

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For example, HR Grapevine's sister site, Recruitment Grapevine, previously reported that a job hopeful faced 100 rejections, until he changed his name from Ziyad Marar to Paul. After reluctantly making the change, he made seven applications and was offered four interviews.