equitable interview questions

Using personal diversity statements in application materials and diversity questions in the interview process can help hiring managers evaluate an applicant’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

Personal diversity statements have traditionally been included in application materials to assess the DEI contributions of faculty applicants, but can be used for staff DEI-focused positions and leadership roles. This supplemental assessment can help hiring teams evaluate the skills and knowledge applicants have on the values and importance of DEI.

You can request that applicants write a statement describing the value of DEI and how they have or would exhibit those values in the workplace. Requiring a personal diversity statement in the application process lets applicants know your department and organization values diversity and is committed to fostering a more inclusive and equitable work environment.

For some applicants, personal diversity statements are an opportunity to be transparent about one’s identity, and when asked to provide a diversity statement, an applicant may include self-identifying statements referencing their race, gender, or orientation. However, if practices and standards are not put in place to mitigate and minimize bias in the hiring process, requiring a personal diversity statement as a part of the application materials may pose a threat to the identity of underrepresented populations in your applicant pool. As an equal opportunity employer, we have to ensure we are evaluating all applicants inclusively and equitably.

DEI-focused interview questions also help hiring teams evaluate a candidate’s understanding of the values and importance of DEI. Include at least one DEI question in the suite of interview questions.

The purpose of the personal diversity statement and DEI-related interview questions is not to assess the applicant’s personal identity, but to assess the applicant’s skills and knowledge on the value and importance of DEI. The overall goal is to create an environment of inclusion and hire people who are aligned with the values of the University. Below is a list of principles to consider when including a personal diversity statement assessment in the application or diversity questions in your interview process:

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Furthermore, be proactive in attracting a diverse applicant pool. Use filters within the HBS resume database to identify students involved in various student clubs including the African American Student Union, Armed Forces Alumni Association, Asian American Business Association, Black Investment Club, Latino Student Organization, PRIDE, Women in Investing Club, and the Women’s Student Association to invite students to apply.

As HBS Professor Youngme Moon noted in an HBS After Hours Podcast, “There are so many industries that have a history of relying on the soft stuff, and the soft stuff has worked in the favor of a particular kind of individual. The truth is the soft stuff is often a euphemism in many cases for bias. For people being able to use their discretion to hire people who are just like them, that they are comfortable with, that look like them, that act like them, that talk like them.”

In a standardized interview, each candidate is asked the same questions in the same order. HBS Professor Francesca Gino notes that this type of interview process helps to reduce bias by “focusing on the factors that have a direct impact on performance.”

Another way to create an inclusive interview process is to include work sample tests.

One way to counter the interviewer’s reliance on the “soft stuff” is to build awareness of why workplace diversity (including, but not limited to, race, socioeconomic status, gender, and sexual orientation) benefits an organization. In addition, if the “likeability factor” does matter to you as an organization and it impacts how employees succeed in the role, Iris Bohnet, director of the Women and Public Policy Program at the Harvard Kennedy School, recommends that organizations give it a direct score as part of the interview process so that it can be rated alongside other skills

Using personal diversity statements in application materials and diversity questions in the interview process can help hiring managers evaluate an applicant’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

For some applicants, personal diversity statements are an opportunity to be transparent about one’s identity, and when asked to provide a diversity statement, an applicant may include self-identifying statements referencing their race, gender, or orientation. However, if practices and standards are not put in place to mitigate and minimize bias in the hiring process, requiring a personal diversity statement as a part of the application materials may pose a threat to the identity of underrepresented populations in your applicant pool. As an equal opportunity employer, we have to ensure we are evaluating all applicants inclusively and equitably.

DEI-focused interview questions also help hiring teams evaluate a candidate’s understanding of the values and importance of DEI. Include at least one DEI question in the suite of interview questions.

Personal diversity statements have traditionally been included in application materials to assess the DEI contributions of faculty applicants, but can be used for staff DEI-focused positions and leadership roles. This supplemental assessment can help hiring teams evaluate the skills and knowledge applicants have on the values and importance of DEI.

If you choose to require a personal diversity statement as a part of application materials or include DEI-focused questions in the interview process, defining the guidelines of a “quality answer” is essential to ensuring a consistent and equitable assessment. Ideally, this step should be completed with the all members of the hiring team prior to the first stage of screening, and should identify what skills and knowledge you want to assess.

Please Share With Us What Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Mean to You and Why They’re Important.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion have much broader meanings than most people assume. Employers want to know that you not only grasp the true meaning of each term, but that you also find merit in each of these concepts and share a commitment to fostering them in the workplace.

FAQ

How do you conduct an equitable interview?

1. Craft inclusive job descriptions that welcome in candidates.
2. Educate interviewers on the benefits of diverse teams to counter “just like me” bias.
3. Level the playing field during video interviews.
4. Use the same set of questions for all candidates.
5. Select questions that focus on capabilities.

What does equity mean to you interview question?

What is a good interview question about diversity?

How can I be equitable in hiring?

1. Attract a wide pool of applicants. …
2. Enable participation from the diverse pool of applicants. …
3. Overcome unconscious bias in candidate review. …
4. Create an equitable interview process. …
5. Extend an offer.