D
Diversity | Catalyst
These include the overall quality of
shortlisted candidates, time to hire
and how easy they are to work with.
A clause in our standard contract
requires third parties to satisfy
themselves that they’ve clearly
understood Allen & Overy’s diversity
strategy as it relates to recruitment.
“We have a target at least one third
of our shortlists being female, so one
criterion is gender,” he specifies.
“We’ve increased its weighting and
started to add wider definitions of
diversity into it. Diversity is the single
largest item that is scored. Because
alexandermannsolutions.com
60
that criterion is so heavily weighted,
agencies know that if they don’t get
that right, it will cause problems.”
He adds that suppliers are
made aware that time to hire can
be extended for the right diverse
candidate. “The last thing we want to
do is miss out on talented people who
just need a bit more time to process
the options and what it means for
their lives.
“I don’t have scientific evidence
for this, but research suggests that
women can sometimes require a bit
more reassurance and information
before accepting a job, which can
be mistaken by a hiring manager as
hesitancy, not being committed to the
opportunity. So, one of the things I’m
keen to do is to talk to our partners
and senior hiring people and say, ‘we
must not misread those signals’.”
Adopting best practice
A variety of tools and solutions exist
to help reduce bias during screening
and selection processes – and there
is little need to reinvent the wheel,
according to Karen Gill, co-founder
o f m e m b e r s h i p o r g a n i sa t i o n
Everywoman, which champions the
advancement of women in business,
and has a presence in more than
100 countries.
“Organisations should be using
tried-and-tested methods that
have been shown to be impactful in
eradicating barriers to inclusion,”
she says.
“There’s lots of best practice out
there. For example, companies
using blind CVs [to erase personal
information] are getting more women
into the first selection process from
the get-go, because they’re not being
hampered by unconscious bias. But
how many organisations are actually
doing it?” (While gender balance is
now on most organisations’ radar,
gender parity will not be achieved
for another 99 years, according to
the World Economic Forum’s Global
Gender Gap Report 2020.)
Assessing for potential – rather
than qualifications and experience,
which can disadvantage applicants
from certain backgrounds – is a
notable trend.
Expert in psychometric testing
Dr Alan Redman, head of science
and technology at occupational
psychologist firm Criterion, explains
that where there are large volumes
of candidates, sifting is often done
on the basis of a candidate’s degree
classification or university.