5 Tips Before You Pilot Anonymous Hiring

When first venturing into a new way of hiring, it makes sense to test before you invest.

It’s all very well hearing us tell you how much better your process will be for admins, candidates and hiring managers but you want to see it for yourself.

Incidentally, if you are interested in our research findings when we A/B tested the Applied sift vs a CV screen on candidate quality, pipeline diversity and process efficiency start here.

We’ve put together 5 tips for running a successful trial and ensuring you have adequate data and clear goals before your next all-star hire clicks ‘Apply’.

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1. Remember why you called us

If you’re about to embark on a trial of Applied, something about your current process isn’t working.

Whether you’re looking to address a lack of diversity in your talent pipeline, make better use of your hiring manager’s time or respond to candidate criticism of your process, it goes without saying that you have to be able to track performance against these goals when comparing Applied versus your usual process.

The good news is we’ve got you covered on all of these for roles that go through Applied. If you’re continuing to run comparable roles through another process, make sure you find equivalent means of collecting that information for comparison.

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2. Be open with candidates

When you let candidates know you are testing a new process because you truly care about their experience, they will almost certainly be willing to share feedback with you.

‍Candidates are crying out to be heard! In demonstrating your commitment and open-mindedness towards improving your processes, you automatically become a more attractive employer for any future job seeker.

“I enjoyed this application process so much more than others I've done recently - the questions helped me to envisage myself in the role and the sorts of challenges and opportunities you might encounter. Whether I get through to interview or not I just thought I'd say thank you for not just another 'supporting statement'!" - Genuine candidate quote

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3. Think long term

Although a trial is typically finite and short term, it’s likely that much of what has prompted you to interrogate your hiring process is a result of years, or even decades in the status quo. We don’t drop a clothes size on our first trip to the gym.

It’s important to consider success through a longer term lens and move beyond ‘vanity metrics’.

Which leads us to the next point…

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4. Ditch the vanity metrics

‍Just as it’s virtually impossible to effectively compare two job seekers by CV alone (far too many variables make a direct comparison impossible), comparing two distinct recruitment methods requires clarity on the work you need it to do.

Beware of creating a super long laundry list of nice-to-have’s that will thwart any progress at all.

A good example is a fixation with ‘time to hire’ as a measure of recruiting success. A recruiter’s goal is not to attract the most applicants, but to attract the most qualified applicants.

Remember, too, that each candidate that receives no feedback on their application is more likely to become a detractor of your organisation, so more unsuccessful candidates are oftentimes a business liability.

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5. Involve everyone

If there is one word sure to create unnecessary resistance, eye rolling and heel dragging, it’s ‘mandatory.’

Even the most open-minded soul can derail a new initiative if they feel they were not consulted or considered in its roll out.

Hiring tends to ‘touch’ many different stakeholders in an organization and it can be a source of tension between HR and Talent teams and the Hiring Manager’s who ultimately make the call on who should join their team.

By actively seeking feedback and involving all key individuals from the outset, a successful implementation of blind hiring is much more reachable.

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We’ve been helping organizations hire without bias for X years. Our team work closely with each of our customers to ensure everyone in the business feels empowered and excited to start making more informed hiring decisions. Are you ready to join us?