Unconscious bias is a problem in recruitment, but one you can solve with Name Blind in your recruitment workflow. By removing names & identifiable personal information from application forms & CVs, you can help ensure that your recruitment process is fair & decisions are made objectively.

Hint - Name blind isn't just about removing names from application forms, it can also be used to counter bias found in:

• Ageism - Hiding not only date of birth, but also the dates the applicant attended school or started work can help avoid bias based on age.
• Social Mobility bias - Hide details such as school names or locations that may indicate that the applicant is from a less privileged backgrounds & social class.
• Gender bias - Removing reference to sex, genders or pronouns (as well as any other sensitive characteristics) can help avoid bias in the screening process.

Configuring Name Blind Settings

The configuration is actually something managed by Eploy, so if you are interested in getting this set up, please contact your Eploy Account Manager. However, before you do that, you can make some decisions on how you would like the process to work:

• Which fields to be hidden whilst name blind is applied? As standard, names, addresses and ED&I characteristics will be hidden, as well as things like supporting documents and CVs. If there are any other fields you would like to hide from hiring managers, please let the team know.

Hint - Consider different types of bias and what information the hiring manager needs to see, in order to make an objective decision. Consider removing any fields which don't contribute towards the recruitment decision to be made.

• At which statuses in your recruitment workflows do the name blind settings need to apply? As the settings are applied at a status level, it means that if name blind is in place, it will apply to all workflows and stages that the status is used. Factor this in when deciding which statuses to use, as it maybe worth creating new statuses if not all of your recruitment workflows will be using name blind screening.
  
  
• Any stages which use name blind statuses will also appear name blind from the grid view. This is because the grid could contain applications at different statuses at the same time. Any candidates not at a name blind stage will have their details revealed when clicking into the application dialogue.

Example - In the Hiring Manager portal, it is common for the 'Feedback Required' status, at the 'Hiring Manager Shortlist' stage to have nameblind settings applied. This would mean that when viewing all applications within the Hiring Manager shortlist stage would appear to be name blind, as some of the applications could be at Feedback Required. When clicking into an application at Feedback Required, the details would still be hidden, where as clicking into another candidate at that stage but a different status, would then reveal the details. 

• Which details should never be revealed to your recruitment & hiring teams? There is certain information, like ED&I characteristics that you may capture for monitoring and reporting, but should never be visible to hiring communities throughout the recruitment & onboarding process. Keeping these details hidden from decision makers throughout your workflow will help reduce the risk of bias.

• Do you need to update your application process to ensure you capture the information required? When transitioning away from CV based recruitment, its worth reviewing your application process to ensure candidates are able to provide all of the relevant information to support their application. Without names and personal details, you will be relying on Hiring Managers to make decisions based on employment history, qualifications and skills so ensure that candidates have ample opportunity to provide all of the information to give themselves the best opportunity.

Hint - It is worth considering if you want to let candidates know that they will be entering into a name blind screening process, so that they can ensure they are happy with the information provided. This includes the opportunity to provide extra details around skills and experience, in an effort to make their application stand out. 

• When in the process should name blind information be visible, such as after the interview has been confirmed. With the help of self scheduling interviews & automatic notifications / invites, hiring managers can indicate which applicants they with to interview and invite them to confirm a slot, all without having to access any names or addresses, as well as without the need to call or email. Of course the hiring manager will need to know who they are interviewing once confirmed, so it is then safe to reveal the personal identifiable information.

Once you have considered these factors, contact your Eploy Account Manager who can discuss next steps and help to get this implemented for you.

Name Blind Screening

Once configured, your hiring managers will be able to navigate & use the portal as normal; the key difference is that when reviewing the pipeline or the tab view, any stages which use name blind settings will have names replaced with ID numbers, CVs hidden and personal details removed from the application form.

Names & CVs will then be automatically revealed when the applicant reaches an appropriate stage. Meanwhile in the tab view, the names & CVs will be hidden from the grid, before being revealed within the application dialogue once the candidate reaches the appropriate stage.

Within the application dialogue, any candidates at a name blind stage will be shown as an ID number, with the CV tab hidden:

This means that Hiring Managers can make objective decisions based on the information available, helping to avoid any unconscious bias based on name, age, social class or gender.