Oops! I'm Biased

Companies are losing out on women in the recruitment process; whether it be in employer branding, the step from interview to hire, or at the offer stage. What can be done about that? In this episode, Léonie Kennepohl, co-founder at Female x Finance joins us to talk about women in the financial sector. This male-dominated industry has long struggled to attract, hire, and retain women. In this episo...

In this episode, Zanina Katira, Senior Recruiter at Miro, joins us to talk about unbiased recruitment. Zanina joined Miro before their high growth period and has seen many iterations of the recruitment process. Iteration is one of Miro’s core values and part of the recipe for success. What is Miro’s approach to unbiased recruitment? Why is candidate experience and recruitment marketing instrumenta...

Inclusive recruitment expands the talent pool, and who wouldn’t want a bigger and more diverse range of candidates to hire? But the question is how do you create a more inclusive recruitment process? In this episode, Naomi Trickey, Chief People Officer at Mews, joins us to talk about inclusive recruitment at Mews. With 40 new hires every month, an inclusive hiring process is vital; but not given....

Why are the expectations of gen Z so debated? And what does ageism have to do with the discussion?  In this episode, Emma Agricola, D&I expert and founder of Inclusyoung, explains ageism. In our conversation we cover the following topics: The definition of ageism and age bias, why ageism towards young people (youngism) is often overlooked, common misconceptions about gen Z, the generation cont...

“If you don’t consciously include, you consciously exclude.” Psychological safety is the underpinning of employee engagement, participation, collaboration, learning and retention, as Bogdan puts it.  In this episode of Oops! I’m Biased Podcast, Bogdan Manta, The Essential Experts, joins us to explore psychological safety and the importance of it for creating inclusive environments. This conversati...

“If you don’t consciously include, you subconsciously exclude.” Psychological safety is the underpinning of employee engagement, participation, collaboration, learning and retention, as Bogdan Manta puts it.  In this episode of Oops! I’m Biased Podcast, Bogdan Manta, The Essential Experts, joins us to explore psychological safety and the importance of it for creating inclusive environments. This c...

What is the basis for unbiased recruitment? What does an ideal recruitment process look like and what are unbiased hiring decisions based on? In this episode, Frank Poll, VP of Talent at Ram Infotechnology and Senior Talent and Culture Strategist and founder at Mister Jobs shares his best practices on unbiased recruitment. Topics include: The business imperative for unbiased recruitment, how to st...

Why is it so hard to change a recruitment process even if there is substantiated evidence that supports the change? What happens in our brains in the face of change that makes us reluctant and how can we embrace innovation in talent acquisition? In this episode, Leonie Grandpierre, Equalture’s Head of Science, explains conservatism bias in recruitment, where conservatism bias originates, which bia...

Who does your job description attract? Does it speak to a diverse range of people who are a fit for the role? Job descriptions carry a lot of weight, and are oftentimes the first point of contact a candidate has with the company. So how can a good first impression be guaranteed? In this episode, Maureen Brinkman, Head of People and Culture at Skydreams and founder of an HR consultancy, shares best...

What is culture? Given the general nature of the definition (i.e. a set of common norms and beliefs a group of people adheres to), the term is hard to define: A company, a generation, a country, a football team. And what if we use the culture we belong to as a reference point for our behaviour, interaction and expectations of others? Organisational psychologist, Mari Järvinen, discusses cultural a...

The changing talent acquisition landscape is rooted in the disruption through budget cuts, hiring freezes, talent shortages, skill gaps and DE&I discrepancies between mission and practice. While pressure is mounting on HR and talent acquisition leaders to fill positions with top talent amidst these challenges, mental wellbeing and innovative decision making are declining. Uncertainty and prolo...

What piece of information serves as a bad anchor in the recruitment process? What could be a good anchor when deciding to hire or not to hire a candidate? Anchoring bias influences an individual to base their decision on a particular reference point. In this episode, Leonie Grandpierre, Equalture’s Head of Science, explains anchoring bias. In our conversation we cover the following topics: The def...

With the increasing talent shortage and the rise of ChatGPT and other technological advancements, enterprises are looking to shift their recruitment process from experience-based to competency-based practices. Tony de Graaf, Global Director of Hiring Success at SmartRecruiters, covers the topic of hiring for skills and competencies and focuses on: What is hiring for skills and competencies? Why sh...

The recruitment process generally favours extraverts: When setting up job requirements, looking through CVs, interviews and assessments, we generally look for a professional with “leadership qualities and strong social skills, who thrives in a fast paced environment”. But is that really what organisations need? In this episode, Joanna Rawbone, expert on introversion, explains why extraversion bias...

Leading a team doesn’t make you a leader, especially not an inclusive leader. So what does it take? Gwen Kolader, Global Head of DE&I at Hexaware and Mobiquity and Expert on Inclusive Leadership on the Breaking Bias Expert Panel discusses the four remaining traits all inclusive leaders need as defined by Deloitte: Commitment, Curiosity, Courage and Collaboration. How is inclusive leadership de...

Cognizance of Bias and Cultural Intelligence are two of six traits that all inclusive leaders should have, as defined by Deloitte. Leading a team doesn’t make you a leader, especially not an inclusive leader. So what does it take? Gwen Kolader, Global Head of DE&I at Hexaware and Expert on Inclusive Leadership on the Breaking Bias Expert Panel discusses how your awareness of bias is crucial, a...

61% of professionals would consider leaving their job if their mental health needs are not met, and 80% of gen Z and millennials find mental health policies important when considering an employer. In this episode, Katharina Koidl, Community and Event Manager at Equalture talks to Eva Joosten, Career Coach and freelance Talent Acquisition Lead, Michiel Sujeet Reith, Wellbeing Rainmaker, and Daniell...

It all starts with looking at your data. How else are you going to fix DE&I issues? In this key moment, Toby Mildon, D&I consultant, explains how he tackled a gender imbalance and a glass ceiling for disabled staff at the BBC. First examine your process and identify where the issue lies, to gain clarity through data. Do you have questions for our speakers or would like to contribute to the...

85% of companies say increasing diversity is a priority, while 52% of companies do not ask recruitment agencies to provide a diverse candidate shortlist. As a recruiter you are responsible for identifying the right talent for the job. But how do you meet your clients’ – often unspoken – expectations with DE&I in mind in this tight labour market? Sacha Martina (CEO and Founder of Your Talent Ag...

What is the Coffee Cup Test? Recently, British software company Compono has gained notoriety in the news because their CEO tests candidates in interviewers by offering them coffee and checking if they (offer to) bring the empty cup back to the kitchen after the interview. What does a recruiter or CEO want to test with it in candidates? And why is it a very clear example of interviewer bias and how...

Setting objective job criteria can sound like a lofty goal: What requirements come with a job? Who determines them? And how do we make sure we stick to them when it comes down to making a choice to hire or not to hire a candidate. Florian Meister, Head of Talent Acquisition at Temedica, applies 5 parameters in the process to ensure objectivity throughout the process: measurablility rationality, co...

In this Episode, Charlotte Melkert, CEO at Equalture, talks to Danielle Chan, People & Culture Manager at Equalture about the company's own recruitment process. Together, they lay out how Equalture prepares a job to go live, how Equalture screens, interviews and hires candidates. They also share what they learned along the way, share some tips and also talk candidly of what they would like...

Whose responsibility is inclusion? Is it the organisation or the person of the marginalised group? This is one of five paradox that Brooke Gazdag, Ph. D and assistant professor for leadership and negotiation at University of Amsterdam has identified. Charlotte Melkert (CEO at Equalture) and Brooke Gazdag take a close look at why inclusion as a process causes controversy, why inclusion is the emplo...

It all starts with measuring. D&I consultant, Toby Mildon, joins Charlotte Melkert on this episode to talk all about where to start with your DE&I strategy. Data collection is the base of it all; he even starts his book, Inclusive Growth, on the premise of clarity through data. If you don’t know where your problem exactly lies or where your bottleneck might be, then DE&I strategy can e...

HR and TA leaders championing DE&I often face pushback from management when suggesting that traditional recruitment practices limit candidate diversity and harm the talent pool. According to Gwen Kolader, VP - Global Head of DE&I at Hexaware and Mobiquity, the most effective way to get management boards to buy into DE&I is to build a business case for it. But how do you build a compell...