Introduction
CV Whitening is still a prevalent process in order to combat discrimination in recruitment. I was reminded of this when I saw an article last week, a case in Detroit highlighting when a Black man sued a hotel for only offering him a job interview after he changed his name on his CV to a more Caucasian-sounding one. This led to a lawsuit and significant negative publicity for the hotel involved. You can read the full article here.
This practice isn’t new. In the 1990s, I recall a man repeatedly applied for jobs using both an Anglo-sounding name and his ethnic name, suing employers who showed bias. However, it was later revealed that he was doing this primarily for financial gain and not because he had serious intentions to work for the organisations affecting his payout.
Additionally, I witnessed this firsthand early in my HR career. I took a pile of applications for a Graduate Recruitment Scheme for a local authority into the very senior recruiting manager and sat with him as he shortlisted them. He took one look at one and said to me “we don’t have to bother with this one.” When I looked at it after the event, it was from a very qualified student with a foreign-sounding surname.
Whitening CVs
“Whitening” CVs involves changing ethnic names to Anglo-sounding ones and possibly removing references to culturally specific institutions. Studies show that resumes with ethnic names receive fewer callbacks. For instance, a Sudanese British Muslim, Rawan Mohamed, reported to the BBC that her job application success rate doubled after she started using the name Rowan. Additionally, the BBC reported that British citizens from ethnic minority backgrounds need to send a whopping 60% more job applications to get positive responses compared to their white counterparts.
A 2021 study in the USA, highlighted by WBUR, confirms the prevalence of name-based discrimination. University researchers sent 83,000 job applications to Fortune 500 companies, splitting them evenly between traditionally white-sounding and Black-sounding names. Results showed that applicants with Black names were called back 10% fewer times despite having similar qualifications. This bias was most pronounced in customer-facing industries like auto services, restaurants, and retail.
Interestingly, the study also found that decentralised companies exhibited more discrimination compared to those with centralised HR departments. This underscores the importance of specialized HR training in diversity and inclusion to ensure fairer recruitment practices.
The Importance of Fair Recruitment
Fair recruitment practices are essential, not only ethically but also for business success. A diverse workforce enhances creativity, brings broader perspectives, and improves decision-making. Ensuring fair recruitment processes helps companies harness these benefits, fostering a more inclusive and innovative work environment.
Blind recruitment, where identifiable information such as names, genders, ages, and education institutions are removed from applications, helps eliminate unconscious bias. This method ensures candidates are evaluated purely on their skills and experience, promoting fairness and enhancing the quality of hires. Companies that adopt blind recruitment often see improvements in team performance, creativity, and problem-solving abilities. Moreover, it boosts a company’s reputation, attracting top talent who value diversity and inclusion.
AI in Recruitment: Boon or Bane?
AI in recruitment has the potential to both mitigate and perpetuate biases. Positively, like blind recruitment, AI can be programmed to ignore demographic details, focusing solely on skills and experience. However, if trained on biased data, AI can reinforce existing biases. Therefore, transparency and accountability in AI algorithms are crucial to preventing such issues.
Conclusion
Tackling discrimination in recruitment is essential. Businesses must review and revise their hiring practices to ensure fairness. Adopting unbiased AI tools and implementing training programs to mitigate unconscious bias are steps in the right direction.
Call to Action
How fair is recruitment in your organisation? Check for biases in your processes and adopt inclusive practices, such as blind recruitment, to foster fairer recruitment. Let’s work towards making CV whitening a redundant process for minority groups across the UK. Share this blog if you agree.
