StackAdapt Launches Unbiasify to Reduce Unconscious Bias in Recruiting
October 12, 2017
STACKADAPT, TORONTO, ON (OCT 11, 2017)
Today, StackAdapt continues its support for diversity in tech through the launch of Unbiasify, an open-source project that removes the name and profile photo of candidates on online recruitment platforms. This free software is available at the Google Chrome store for download in North America.
“Keeping an objective view of every candidate is integral to a successful recruitment process. As a recruiter, I want to evaluate a candidate based on their work experience and skill set, and provide a level playing field for all potential hires,” states StackAdapt Director of Talent Acquisition Martin Hauck. “By removing a candidate’s profile photo and name, we eliminate any unconscious bias that can potentially tarnish the recruitment process such as bias towards or against specific age, race, gender, or appearance.”
Unbiasify is StackAdapt’s second community-driven initiative of #HackDiversity, a campaign launched in June 2017 raising awareness for diversity in tech. An 18 minute documentary was released calling for an industry effort to address bias in the tech industry.
“When we launched #HackDiversity, we learned there are many fundamental issues in the tech industry and wanted to take concrete actions to foster a more inclusive working environment. Reducing bias in the hiring process will welcome more diversity in our industry. We want every qualified candidate applying for a position at StackAdapt to know that they are being evaluated on their knowledge, not their cultural background or gender,” says StackAdapt co-founder & COO Vitaly Pecherskiy, “When we presented this extension to our team, it received positive responses across the board.”
“There are a number of apps and platforms that reduce bias in recruitment and we wanted to make something as simple as one-click,” explains Hauck. “Unbiasify is not going to rectify the diversity in tech problem on its own but having a free tool that helps recruiters focus on what actually matters will make an impact on the recruiting pipeline. Orchestras introduced ‘blind recruitment’ in their auditioning process in the 1970s and 1980s and increased the number of female musicians hired from 25% to 46%. Unbiasify is in full function at StackAdapt and we look forward to seeing the long-term effect of this unconscious bias hack.”
Unbiasify will be made available for other social media and recruitment platforms in the upcoming months. StackAdapt’s development team and Varun Vacchar of Rangle.io will assist in ongoing development of the extension and manage the open source aspects of the project. Toronto JS has also committed to supporting Unbiasify.
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