By Nikki Gum, Manager, Brand Communications
According to a new report, being named Aiysha may make it harder to find a job than being named Amy, since companies favor applicants with “white-sounding” names.
From 2019 to 2021, researchers sent 80K made-up resumes to 97 large U.S. companies. They applied for jobs on behalf of fake applicants with equivalent qualifications but different personal characteristics.
Their findings were frustrating, yet sadly predictable. The researchers found that, on average, employers contacted the presumed white applicants 9.5% more often than presumed Black applicants.
While the study did not find a significant difference in the contact rate between male and female applicants, the study targeted entry-level jobs, and research shows that gender discrimination against women typically increases later in careers.
Some U.S. companies have made some strides in reducing discrimination over the years but this research underscores the persistent problem of hiring bias and proves there is still much work to be done.
If you are someone that plays a role in your company’s hiring practices, take these steps to reduce bias:
- Conduct your first round of resume reviews with names redacted
- Centralize hiring practices rather than leaving the hiring process to individual managers
- Ensure the centralized hiring team is diverse
- Regularly review and analyze hiring demographic data
Just imagine the bias that would be removed from the hiring process if hiring managers didn’t see the name until they met the candidate.