Dive Brief:

• Without the right information to make an informed decision, recruiters often resort to their ‘gut feelings’ about a candidate, says Marcus Mossberger, Human Capital Management Strategy Director at Infor, who is also a featured writer in HR.com’s July 2016 Talent Acquisition edition. Many times, recruiters choose the candidates who remind them of themselves, which is not objective. He suggests an ‘objective over subjective’ approach, supported by data.

• The solution to avoiding this type of hiring scenario? Using data-driven recruitment solutions that leave out stereotypes and consider behaviors and other job-relevant traits in each candidate. It’s based on science, rather than speculation. It’s also based on proven performance metrics and cognitive abilities that are more apt to produce a positive match in a candidate.

• According to Infor’s research, their key product (Talent Science), "helped create an average increase of 26.61% in minorities hired." The long term impact of using a data recruitment process cut attrition rates in half.

Dive Insight:

This article is not so much about making the right hiring decisions as it is about creating a system for avoiding bias in hiring and therefore, improving diversity in the workplace. Mossberger touches on this point when he cites the 2015 McKinsey report on diversity, which advises that, “companies in the top quartile for racial and ethnic diversity are 35% more likely to have financial returns above their respective national industry medians.” Any measure that is more objective and removes the subjectiveness in recruitment is a positive move.

When recruitment is backed by proven technology that supports diversity and fair hiring practices, it’s a winning proposition for companies in all industries. More diversity leads to greater innovation, better engagement, and improved global competitiveness.