#48 - Biased
Rife, unfair, and experimenting
I’m biased. It took me a long time to figure that out.
It’s alarming now I see it.
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Rife
I’ve spent most of my life thinking I was rational. A ludicrous idea, I know. It’s difficult for any of us to be truly rational. We each do our hopeless best at filtering the world around us. The only way that’s possible is through constantly making assumptions and simplifications. Mistakes are made.
I find it fascinating quite how much bias there is at companies. It’s rife. All the individual biases compound together to make quite a mess. Nowhere is it more obvious as the hiring process. Shocking.
This might sound like the grumblings of someone with plenty of rejections. I spent months after University failing to get past the first stage of job applications. Eventually someone took pity on me. However that’s not my gripe here- those who rejected me probably dodged a bullet. Fair play. What alarms me here is sitting on the other side of the table. We’re now the ones hiring.
Unfair
People hire in their image. It makes sense. It’s much easier to understand the strengths of someone from a similar demographic. You’ve seen it play out. Yet it’s extremely difficult to appreciate the full value of someone different.
On top of that hiring can be overwhelming. CVs give so little to work with and yet they play such a big part in the process. It’s an easy way to filter, and time is of the essence. We simply can’t speak with everyone.
But that can be unfair. I’m convinced writing a good cover letter is a skill completely independent from work. And CVs? Easily embellished. It’s difficult to get a true feel for the person and their ability at work.
Experimenting
I’m sure there are elegant and comprehensive solutions for this problem. But it’s not something we’ve cracked. Time to change that.
We’re now hiring a Growth Marketing Manager. It’s a good chance to experiment. No CVs. No cover letters. Instead, two questions- reviewed blind. That’s it.
It could be an idiotic idea. Not my first or last of those. But it’s worth a try. Either way we will learn. See what you think here.
My Week in Books📚
The Salt Path by Raynor Winn
Inspired to read this after my Cornwall trip. A true story. Ray & Moth lose their house with Moth terminally ill. They decide to walk the 630 miles of The South West Coast. The experience transforms them. Inspiring stuff.
Hit Refresh by Satya Nadella
The memoir of Microsoft’s CEO. Not an easy task but he seems to be doing a great job. Super humble guy. He comes across well.
I’ll be updating the books I’ve read this year here. Any recommendations? Let me know!
A Final Thought 💡
“It's not at all hard to understand a person; it's only hard to listen without bias.”
- Criss Jami