Dive Brief:

• Cornell University released the results of a study of hiring managers in the hospitality and service industries which measured certain attitudes and perceptions about diversity impact recruitment outcomes, according to Phys.org.          
• Organized by a team of professors at the Cornell Center for Hospitality Research, the study involved two experiments that looked at the hiring process of a full-service national hotel chain to determine if race influenced hiring decisions. In many cases, managers hired candidates who were of the same race. 
• The findings of the report indicate the need for more training of managers to make them aware of the potential for hiring bias.

Dive Insight:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Bias in hiring is a difficult matter to understand, and the Cornell University study has shed more light on how often it occurs. In most cases, managers are not even aware that they are leaning towards candidates with whom they share the same racial background.

One way to eliminate this bias is to avoid checking the race of candidates who are under consideration. Of course, once interactions occur over the phone and in person, there really is no way to avoid revealing each candidate's race. This is something that each company needs to be mindful of when making hiring decisions.

Asking as part of the hiring decision, "Is this candidate's race influencing my decision?" can be a way of checking oneself. Gradually, hiring software is also beginning to check such problems.

Honest discussions about race and personal preferences need to take place on recruitment teams; as long as no one talks about the problem, it will persist.