How do you avoid bias and discrimination in international recruitment?

International recruitment can be a great way to diversify your talent pool, access new markets, and leverage global skills. However, it also comes with some challenges, such as avoiding bias and discrimination in your hiring process. Bias and discrimination can harm your employer brand, limit your talent potential, and expose you to legal risks. Here are some tips on how to prevent them and ensure a fair and inclusive international recruitment.

1 Define your criteria

Before you start sourcing and screening candidates, you need to define your criteria for the role and the culture fit. These criteria should be based on objective and measurable skills, qualifications, and competencies, not on subjective or irrelevant factors, such as nationality, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, or appearance. You should also avoid using vague or ambiguous terms, such as "native speaker", "cultural fit", or "international experience", that could imply bias or preference for certain groups. Instead, use clear and specific language, such as "fluent in English and Spanish", "aligned with our core values", or "demonstrated ability to work in cross-cultural teams".

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Ciro Moraes dos Reis

Lawyer | Researcher | Consultant
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Navigating international recruitment from Brazil, I've seen the importance of fair, inclusive hiring. Standardized tools and diversity-focused training for recruiters are key. It's not just about ethics; it's about harnessing global talent potential. Regular process reviews ensure genuine inclusivity, something vital for candidates like me in a diverse market. 🌍🤝

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2 Use standardized tools

To reduce the influence of personal opinions or stereotypes, you should use standardized tools and methods for assessing and comparing candidates. For example, you can use online tests, structured interviews, or assessment centers, that are designed to measure relevant skills and competencies in a consistent and reliable way. You should also use the same tools and methods for all candidates, regardless of their location, background, or status. This will help you ensure a level playing field and avoid unfair advantages or disadvantages for certain candidates.

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Yulia Lavie 🇮🇱🇦🇺

COO & Partner - CWS Israel | Entrepreneur | Investor | Business Consultant | Fearless Leader
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Being based in Australia and running an international EOR company, we've seen firsthand how easy it can be for biases to sneak into recruitment. That's why we've put our hearts into developing a set of structured questions and excel tool to compare the candidates after interviews, regardless of their location and background. This approach allowed us to keep things fair and easy for everyone. These tools are our go-to for making sure we're judging candidates on their skills and abilities alone, no matter where they're from or what language they speak. By keeping things consistent and objective, we also help our diverse clients connect with amazing Israeli talent, making it a win-win all around.

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3 Train your team

Another way to prevent bias and discrimination in international recruitment is to train your team on the importance and benefits of diversity and inclusion, as well as the potential pitfalls and risks of bias and discrimination. You should educate your team on the different types of bias, such as confirmation bias, halo effect, affinity bias, or contrast effect, that can affect their judgment and decision-making. You should also provide them with practical tips and strategies on how to recognize and overcome their own biases, such as using checklists, seeking feedback, or challenging assumptions. Additionally, you should ensure that your team is diverse and representative of the candidates you are targeting, as this will help you avoid groupthink and foster different perspectives and insights.

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4 Monitor your process

Finally, you should monitor your international recruitment process and evaluate its outcomes, to identify and address any issues or gaps related to bias and discrimination. You should collect and analyze data on the diversity and performance of your candidates and hires, such as their demographics, qualifications, feedback, retention, and promotion. You should also solicit and listen to feedback from your candidates and hires, as well as from external stakeholders, such as customers, partners, or regulators, on their experience and satisfaction with your process. Based on the data and feedback, you should review and adjust your criteria, tools, methods, and training, to ensure continuous improvement and alignment with your diversity and inclusion goals.

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5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Yulia Lavie 🇮🇱🇦🇺

COO & Partner - CWS Israel | Entrepreneur | Investor | Business Consultant | Fearless Leader
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A practical tip we've found incredibly effective at CWS Israel is to give every candidate a simple, role-specific task with a clear deadline. For instance, we might ask Business Development and Sales candidates to answer a few straightforward questions in a recorded video. This not only showcases their communication skills but also their enthusiasm for the role. For potential Marketing candidates, we could request a mini-campaign plan relevant to our industry. This approach serves a dual purpose: it filters out those less willing to invest effort and provides us with tangible examples of each candidate’s actual work. It's a little extra step helps to identify those truly passionate about joining our team and ready to go the extra mile.

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Assaf Katz
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You cannot, and as fast as you acknowledge it, this is better. The first step in the diversity process should be setting a realistic goal, "avoid bias and discrimination in international recruitment" isn't one. You should find the worst problem (perfectly in the eyes of your employees) in this area, handle it then continue with the next.

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How do you avoid bias and discrimination in international recruitment?

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1 Define your criteria

2 Use standardized tools

3 Train your team

4 Monitor your process

5 Here’s what else to consider

International Recruitment

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