[Career Coach 101] Recruitment Bias: How it can (and will) affect your transition!

Have you ever applied for a job that fit like a glove? Then you got a rejection? This can be an indication of how recruitment bias can, and will, affect your transition. We all have biases: conscious or unconscious. They are automatic, quick judgments and assessments of people and situations. This process is influenced by our background, cultural environment as well as personal experiences. Recruiters and hiring managers are not the exception. Bias is a factor you should include in your transition strategy even though it’s out of your control.

Related: 3 unconscious biases that affect whether you get hired

Types Of Bias During Recruitment

Some of the most prevalent biases are:

Gender Bias: When you picture a surgeon, do you see a man? Probably! And so do many recruiters and hiring managers!

Related: Tackling Gender Bias In Recruitment

Racial Bias: What’s in a name? Research indicates that applicants with white-sounding names received as many as 50% more callbacks than applicants with black-sounding names who had the same qualifications

Related: 8 Everyday Ways To Fight Racism

Age Bias: Two out of three workers between ages 45 and 74 have seen or experienced age discrimination at work. And job seekers over age 35 cite it as a top obstacle to getting hired. If you are a technology worker the probability is higher.

Related: Laid-off IBM workers allege age bias in lawsuit

Related: How to fight ageism in your job search

This is not a comprehensive list. But it is food for thought. Have you considered how bias may be affecting your transition? Do you have a strategy to move forward?

In Summary

You can not control how others think or what they do. You can, however, take ownership and control of your transition and your success. Become more effective by understanding and preparing for some of the biases that may be affecting your transition. Above all, move forward when facing bias in the recruitment process. It’s probably better to not be part of that organization after all.

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