HR leaders admit to hiring people 'just like them'

Worrying research has found that modern hiring practices are hindering diversity, as employers admit to hiring people ‘just like them’.

According to research commissioned by The Open University, three in ten (29%) senior managers admit they hire people just like them. The study found that employers place significant importance on educational attainment (86%), cultural fit (77%), tastes and leisure pursuits (65%), and even social background (61%) – raising concerns about diversity.

This emphasis on cultural fit having a ‘dark side’ echoes with the views of ex-Apple recruiter, Rachel Bitte, the now Chief People Officer at Jobvite. She believes that there’s an unexpected dark side of hiring for cultural fit, which creates homogeneity at a firm.

“I think companies really have to be careful,” says Bitte, who has over 20 years of HR experience working at Apple and Intuit, to Business Insider. “What do you mean by a ‘fit’ for your company?”