This is how you find diverse talents
If every applicant who applied for a position went through several hours of interviews with multiple engineers, this would be impossible. Development teams would miss product deadlines and get stuck in endless interview loops. This is not efficient.
On the other hand, filtering candidates based on resumes by only considering ancestry indicators like previous employer or school can lead to false rejections. That's not fair.
By using the pedigree as a proxy for ability, we exclude candidates who don't have a traditional background - top computer science schools, previous big-tech experience, etc. If our talent pool is filled with developers who only come from top computer science programs, we risk forming in-groups, which can be dangerous.
With the advancement of technology, particularly AI, it is extremely important to take on different thoughts and opinions. If the technology we develop only serves a selected group of people, are we really making progress?
Expand your direct applicant pipeline
According to data from over 80,000 technical job interviews, less than 10 percent of direct applicants who apply directly to a job posting receive a job interview. There is a clear bias in favor of proactively won candidates over direct applicants.
The issue is this: Once they arrive for the technical job interview, the data demonstrates that it is customary for numerous firms that candidates from the immediate applicant group outperform those your recruiters are looking for. However, most companies vet the direct applicants too stringently before they are able to come in for the interview and showcase their abilities.
A way to increase the diversity of your potential candidates is to eliminate more applicants who come through directly. You can do this by checking the percentage of people who make it past the technical interview stage for each recruitment source. If the pool of those who applied directly is similar to the group of people you actively recruited, try letting a higher percentage of them through. Another method is to adjust your core requirements and send 15-20% of those who applied directly to an interview.
If candidates are successful in their technical interviews, this not only lowers procurement costs, but also diversifies pipeline sources, rather than relying on the same demographic characteristics of the same schools and other companies like everyone else in the industry.
Another advantage to having direct applicants is that, according to our data, they have a success rate averaging 10 percent higher than candidates who are proactively recruited. So expanding this talent pool can not only make your process more integrated, but also more effective.
Make your process more transparent
It is important that you are successful in the application process once you start finding more direct applicants. A candidate who has no connection to the big tech world will not have the same knowledge of the hiring process or interview questions as a candidate who, for example, has a family member in your company.
It is true that the software developers you are considering may have friends or relatives who would be appropriate for your company. However, if they are aware of the questions they will be asked ahead of time, their answers will not be valid.
By taking one specific measure, you can quickly close the access gap in your company. Share questions from job interviews with all potential candidates to create a level playing field. Or, even better, record a simulated interview with one of your current engineers and post it on your career website. This will give future interviewees an idea of what they can expect.
Expand your direct applicant pipeline
Let's be honest: it's easy to get stuck on the same schools because we're familiar with their talent and programs and may even have many alumni from there. However, if you want to start an inclusive company, you need to broaden your search.
COVID-19 has made it difficult to hold in-person recruiting events. As a result, you should take advantage of the situation by sending your recruiters to remote career fairs. Find ways to partner with organizations so you can identify underrepresented talent.
It is important to understand that many underrepresented candidates do not have as much experience in computer science education as their traditional colleagues.
They may find computer science interesting at a later point and attend a coding school or bootcamp. The use of a resume screener that automatically rejects an application because it does not recognize the certification punishes the applicant indirectly for something over which they have no control.
Fair attitude is more efficient
Executives in engineering who are struggling to meet their hiring goals should consider all options for opening up their pipeline. Just be careful not to overlook the great candidates who are already knocking on your door.
Expand your direct sourcing of candidates and ensure that all of your candidates know exactly what their role will be or what qualities they need to be successful in your company. Help them understand what their day-to-day could look like. The more you set them up for success, the better they can perform.
Your company will not only achieve its setting goals faster, but also advance its strategic initiatives for diversity, justice and inclusion.
