The issue of hiring without bias is one that comes up time and time again. Perhaps it’s time to explore some new solutions for how to combat this once and for all. Brain tests are one innovative way of hiring without bias. Let’s take a look at what they are and how they can help you hire smarter without bias.

What Is Bias?

To discuss eliminating bias, we must first describe what bias is. Bias is usually an unconscious process of forming an idea about a candidate. We all have prejudices that we are not necessarily aware of. When someone comes in for an interview, we may notice how young they are and make a snap judgement. This is unfair because they may have exactly the right skills to succeed in the role, regardless of age.

As you know, objectivity is key in hiring processes. When bias takes over, it can give you an unfair concept of a candidate. This judgement is often based unconsciously on ethnicity, gender, age, or other factors.

Equality can be seen as the opposite of bias, where candidates are all measured against the same criteria. How you can do this with a brain test is described further on.

What Are Brain Tests?

Brain tests are also known as aptitude tests. This is an umbrella term that covers several assessment types. These include personality testing, abstract reasoning tests, verbal reasoning tests, and more.

The idea behind using all of these as part of your recruitment processes is that you can find out what abilities the candidate has before you meet them.

The type of testing you should do will depend on the role in question. The brain test must be directly relevant to the skills required for the role. It is your responsibility to determine this, as the HR person involved in the recruitment process.

Types of Brain Tests:

Numerical Reasoning Tests – these questions are often based around statistics and charts. They will determine whether the respondent is quick and competent with numbers.

Verbal Reasoning Tests – this test type measures how fast a respondent can comprehend written information.

Abstract Reasoning Tests – these are tests which uncover how logical a candidate can be. It is often presented as a series of shapes, and the candidate must select which shape is next in the sequence.

In Tray and E-Tray – most often used for admin roles, this test is often extremely role-related. The candidate may get an example of an email inbox and must prioritize the emails in order of importance.

There are many more types of brain tests, but that’s just a few examples to give you an idea of what they are.

Hiring Bias Free

Using brain tests can be a great way to level the playing field for all candidates. It allows you to uncover whether they have the right skills and abilities for the position before you see them. This provides a method for determining whether they are suitable, regardless of skin color or gender. That’s because it’s less likely that you will make unconscious judgements of a candidate you have never seen.

Then you can be sure that all the candidates you invite to interview have the necessary skills. You can, therefore, focus on interviewing more based on team fit and behavioral attributes.

How to Implement Brain Tests In Recruitment

Where in The Process Do You Add Brain Tests?

Brain tests should be done by a shortlist of candidates before you invite anyone to interview. Make a longer shortlist than usual, perhaps up to 8 people. Then you can invite these people to complete an online brain test. Based off these results, you can decide who to invite to interview.

Which Brain Test Do You Choose?

Choosing a brain test is up to you as the HR personnel involved. You should carefully consider what is relevant to the role as otherwise there is not a lot of point in conducting testing. Keep in mind that the test outcome should show that the person has skills relevant to the role.

What Next?

After you have chosen the candidates who performed best on the test, you can invite these people to interview. While it is important to reduce bias as much as possible, you will need to meet candidates before hiring anyone. The tests are just to weed out unsuitable candidates. Once you’ve done this, you do need to meet people to form an impression of them. You should still try to remain impartial during the interview process, however.

Eliminating bias altogether from recruitment processes is no easy task. However, implementing brain tests is a good way to start reducing it. Who knows, you may uncover even better candidates by getting bias out of your way.