Blind Audition
- Chiara Marturano
- Dec 5, 2023
- 3 min read
Are we sure that it is a fairer hiring process?
Do you remember when they used to air "The Game of Couples" on TV? The contestant had to choose someone to go out with from three contenders hidden behind a movable wall.
By eliminating the appearance factor, the choice was supposed to be based (at least, that's what the program promised) on personality traits.
"Blind recruitment" is an approach to hiring designed to reduce or eliminate the more or less unconscious biases of recruiters that could influence the candidate selection.
It's a way to ensure that those who apply are selected based on merit and skills, without facing discrimination.
The New York Philharmonic adopts this method during the initial audition: the contestant performs behind a screen and is judged solely on their performance. As of today, the orchestra consists of 45 women and 44 men. Thanks to this practice, women have had greater opportunities for employment.
The president of the orchestra, Deborah Borda, stated: "Women are earning these positions fairly and equitably." I wonder, did the men who are part of it also earn these positions fairly and equitably? Or perhaps, unknowingly, did they benefit from a path of favoritism based on prejudices that the screen aims to eliminate?
And then, there's another equally important issue: the gender pay gap. Women in the orchestra continue to earn a lower salary. Why? Because, at the same hours and, established by the audition itself, with the same skills, their salary is lower than that of their male colleagues?
Can screens, the elimination of name, gender, age, and photos from CVs, really eliminate our biases? What are they truly for?
I was listening to an interview with the owner of a chain of beauty centers; she recounted a job interview she was conducting with a girl. At one point, the candidate asked her if being overweight would prevent her from being hired. If there had been a screen, the question wouldn't have been asked.
Gender, age, life experience, our appearance, cultural background – these are all pieces of our identity. We have developed skills and characteristics that enrich our abilities and our professional profile. Excluding these aspects means excluding the diversity that makes us more suitable, perhaps, for that job. We don't just do things at work: I can be a wonderful violinist, but if I "hate everyone" and lack the ability to listen to others, I will be a disaster in the orchestra.
I have always been late. At one point, to avoid arguments and friendship breakups, I changed the time on my clock by setting it 15 minutes earlier than the actual time. A self-deception process, in practice. It worked for a while, but then, knowing that I had a 15-minute bonus, I fell back into my habits.
What changed? I met people who were even more delayed than me, heard how unfair it was, and changed my habits
The screen is another way to deceive ourselves: we know we have biases, we also know which ones, and we use an external tool to prevent ourselves from acting on them. What if, instead of screens, we addressed these aspects, starting with fair pay?
I ask you, in your work environment, would blind auditions work? What would be the advantages and disadvantages?
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