Interviews are a critical part of the hiring process, but they can also be a source of bias and inequity. Employers have a responsibility to ensure that all candidates have a fair chance to speak and are evaluated based on their qualifications, not their race, gender, or other personal characteristics. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to conduct interviews equitably and avoid bias.
One tool that can help is Equal Time, an AI-powered app that allows interviewers to monitor their own and candidates’ speaking time in virtual calls, avoid illegal questions, and review answers candidates give to questions. Here are some tips for using Equal Time to conduct fair and equitable interviews:
Set a clear agenda: Before the interview, create a list of questions you want to ask and the amount of time you plan to spend on each one. This will help ensure that you cover all the necessary topics and give each candidate an equal chance to respond.
Use Equal Time to track speaking time: Equal Time can help you monitor your own speaking time as well as the time each candidate speaks. This can be useful in ensuring that hiring managers are not dominating the conversation and that each candidate has an adequate chance to speak. It can also help you identify any unconscious biases you may have in terms of speaking time.
Avoid illegal questions: Equal Time can also help you avoid asking illegal questions that could be perceived as discriminatory. The app will soon have a feature that flags potentially discriminatory questions and suggests alternatives. This can help you stay on the right side of the law and avoid unintentionally discriminating against candidates. (ex: asking about pregnancy, age, military status, and more)
Compare candidates’ answers fairly: After the interview, use Equal Time to review each candidate’s answers to the same questions. This can help you compare their responses objectively and avoid bias in the evaluation process.
Share Equal Time’s notes with colleagues to get diverse perspectives: Share the Equal Time interview transcript and AI-generated notes with your colleagues who are part of the interview panel . Ask them where they thought the candidate excelled, and ensure that you have a diverse interview panel contributing to the hiring decision.
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