Four ways to stop unconscious bias hampering your recruitment process

Unconscious bias. It’s become a bit of a buzzphrase in recruitment circles. But what is it?

Essentially, unconscious bias is the ingrained assumptions, attitudes and stereotypes we have about other people, without realising it.

It occurs when we make spontaneous judgments about people or situations based on our past experiences, culture, or background.

For example, have you ever hired someone that reminds you of one of your friends? The likelihood is that you chose them, (in part) because of that association.

This is a subtle form of unconscious bias i.e., the feelings and opinions you associate with one person influences the way you view someone else.

The concept of unconscious bias puts a lot of people on edge, as it’s seen as ‘bad’.But the truth is, we all hold unconscious beliefs - it’s how our brains are wired to work.

Consider this for a moment. Every second, our brains receive around 11 million pieces of information. That’s a mind-blowing amount. Around 50 of them are captured, while just 7 are processed by our working memory.

To filter this mass of information, our brains take cognitive shortcuts (they make spontaneous judgements), which can lead to bad or ineffective decisions.

Unconscious bias during the hiring process

In the workplace, unconscious, or implicit bias can become a problem when it affects others.

A whopping 96% of recruiters believe that it is a problem, and not just for the individuals being passed over for jobs and promotions. Unchecked unconscious bias can also hurt your organisation, as this whitepaper by HR Dive explains.

While we can’t magically become completely unbiased, we can take steps to minimise its impact at each stage of the recruitment process.

However, there’s more than one form of unconscious bias. Before you address them, you need to know what they are. Here’s the lowdown:

1. Learn the different types of unconscious bias

• Affinity bias: favouring people who are similar to you over people who aren’t.

• Attribution bias: making assumptions about whether or not external factors play a role in someone’s achievements or failures.

• Confirmation bias: drawing conclusions based on your personal experiences and beliefs over facts.

• Discrimination: favouring people from a dominant or majority group over those from a marginalised group.

• Halo and horns effect: letting one trait control whether you believe someone is good or bad.

It’s easy to let bias affect your behaviour without you realising you’re doing it. But knowing how bias manifests is the first step towards making better, more self-aware choices.

2. Rework your job descriptions

Another thing to do before you start recruiting is to take a look at the job description. For example, there are tons of ways that even seemingly innocuous parts could be putting women off applying.

Are you using words like ‘dominant’, ‘competitive’, or ‘rockstar’? Research shows that masculine-coded language can be (consciously or unconsciously) off-putting to female applicants. If they feel like they’re not going to fit in or succeed, why bother applying?

Think about the wording you use. Are the terms you’re using associated with one gender over another?

While you’re there, cast a critical eye over the job requirements. Are they all, well, required? Because on average, men will apply for jobs when they meet over 60% of the criteria while women only apply if they hit 100%. If some of the requirements aren’t actually required, you run the risk of losing out on applications from perfectly qualified women.

3. Anonymise your CVs

William Shakespeare once wrote ‘what's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet’.

Unfortunately, dear Will didn’t account for the fact that names have a huge influence on our choices.

Research has found that when it comes to hiring, recruiters tend to favour white candidates. When American researchers Marianne Bertrand and Sendhil Mullainathan submitted 5,000 identical CVs to recruiters, they found that the candidates with more stereotypically white-sounding names received 50% more interviews than other candidates.

Bias surrounding names can show up in all kinds of ways. Say you’re stuck between Alan and John: if the late Alan Rickman is your favourite actor, or the kid who bullied you at school was called John, you might find yourself gravitating towards hiring Alan.

By taking names out of the equation, you can be sure that these sneaky biases aren’t influencing your decisions.

4. Take your time

Unconscious decisions are quick (remember the 11 million pieces of information a second?) but you don’t have to be. Sit down and think - really think - about why you rank candidates in a certain order. Do they have something in common with you? Do you think they have a particular characteristic that makes them better or worse for the job?

Consider what role unconscious biases might be playing in your thought process - you might find that your brain is cutting corners.

Building time into the recruitment process to slow down and really think might mean it takes a little longer to recruit the right person, but it’ll be worth it.

Looking for some expert help to improve your recruitment process? Give us a call on 0203 750 3111. 

How to choose a fundraising platform

You may or may not be aware that Virgin Money’s fundraising website, Virgin Money Giving, is closing permanently on 30th November 2021.

The decision was made following a strategic review of the platform ahead of Virgin Money’s final sponsorship of the London Marathon in October 2021. The company stated: “Given the significant investment required in the service for it to remain competitive, and without the brand exposure provided by the London Marathon, Virgin Money has decided to wind down the platform after the 2021 London Marathon in October”.

Virgin Money Giving is a popular fundraising platform. As a result of it closing, charities are having to find new online fundraising partners to work with.

But with so many to choose from, how do you find the right one for your cause?

If you’ve used Virgin Money Giving and are in the market for a new fundraising platform, here are five things to consider:

• Does the platform charge a fee?

High fees can make or break your fundraising efforts, so you’ll want to look at the different platforms and payment processing fees when choosing a platform.

Some fundraising websites charge a subscription in addition to the platform and/or payment processing fees. Though the fees might be higher, they offer additional features to make the cost worth it. Other sites offer lower platform fees to offset the upfront cost.

This handy article by Charity Digital will give you the lowdown on the fees of some of the most popular platforms.

• Do humans manage customer service?

In an ideal world, the site will run flawlessly and you won’t need to contact customer support at all. But if you run into a technical problem that needs fixing fast, there’s nothing worse than a bot, or automated response informing you that you’ll get a response ‘in 3-5 working days.’

The best fundraising platforms will have humans on hand to deal with customer service issues when they arise. Check before signing on the dotted line.

• Is the platform user-friendly?

The last thing you want is for donors to decide against donating as they have to jump through hoops to make a donation.

Go through the process yourself. Is the platform easy and quick to use? If not, stay well clear.

• Does the platform have a mobile app?

Over a quarter (28%) of UK consumers would rather make a charitable donation via their mobile phone than via traditional methods, so make sure your chosen platform has a good mobile app. This also makes it easy for people to donate on the go.

• Can you create team fundraising projects?

Sharing fundraising responsibilities with a group of friends and family can ease stress and make the experience more collaborative, but not all fundraising platforms offer a team feature. It’s a good idea to check before committing.
If you’re in the market for a fundraiser, we can help. Give us a call on 020 3750 3111.

Charity salaries vs inflation over the last 5 years

There’s been a lot of talk about inflation in recent weeks. And plenty of chatter about the upcoming public sector pay rise and whether the increase will be above the inflation rate.

In this post we thought we’d take a look at charity sector pay over the last five years to see how it compares.

Using a combination of our own data collection and archived job adverts from Third Sector, Charity Job, and The Guardian, we built up a picture of salaries for different job types in different locations.

It quickly became apparent that we’d bitten off way more than we could chew. So, we made the following decisions to make the task a little more manageable:

1. In an effort to simplify things, we narrowed it down to fundraising in London. But this was still too much, so we simplified it further to include just ‘officer’ and ‘manager’ level jobs, then just ‘manager’ jobs.

2. In an attempt to make things as comparable as possible, we only used roles advertised directly by charities. We used the upper end of the salary banding, (if one was advertised), and measured the mean of the middle 80% by year to ignore outliers.

3. We used the Bank of England inflation calculator for the maths.

 Our efforts generated this:

In this example, the inflation-adjusted salary has been taken from the previous year. If you ignore the intervening years and calculate what the salary would be (if kept in line with inflation) until August of this year, you’d expect the mean to be £40,481 which is -2.75% under the inflation rate over the five years.

So, it seems charity sector pay (in this very specific example) consistently falls behind inflation. We’re not sure what happened in 2017 for there to be such a big jump. A cynic might say it was because it was an election year (more money was given to the third sector to boost the perception of the incumbent government). That would also explain the drop the following year and the boost in pay in the following 2019 election year. But that’s pure speculation.

It seems there was a drop in the mean salary during the pandemic, but not by a huge amount. And it’s rebounded somewhat in 2021.

Anyway, we’ve got more data than we know what to do with, so we’ll leave it there for now.

Feel free to drop your thoughts to tim@bamboofundraising.co.uk.   

Five ways volunteering can help you get a job in fundraising

There are loads of benefits to volunteering. Aside from the warm and fuzzy feeling you get from giving back, it gives you a sense of accomplishment, helps you gain perspective, and is a great way to develop new skills.

It can also help you get a job. Research by Deloitte found that 82% of employers are likely to choose a candidate with volunteering experience over one that doesn’t, and 85% of those are willing to overlook other CV flaws when a candidate includes volunteer work on their CV.

This is particularly pertinent if you’re considering moving from the corporate to the charity sector. A year of voluntary work will put you in a much stronger position to compete with experienced charity fundraisers – particularly if you have strong, transferable skills.

But that’s not all. Here are four other ways volunteering can help you bag your dream charity job.

1. It’ll add depth to your CV

When was the last time you heard someone complain about a person being too helpful and community-minded? That’s right, never.

People who choose to volunteer tend to share some common traits: they’re empathetic, passionate about helping others, and motivated by things other than money.

These are attractive qualities to any employer, and they’re key traits for a job in fundraising.

Adding volunteering experience to your CV will show potential employers you have these essential qualities in spades, and

2. It enables you to ‘dip your toe’ in a new career

Volunteering offers a unique opportunity to gain experience in a new field/role, at no risk to you or the charity.

Maybe you know you want to be a fundraiser, but you’re passionate about several causes and don’t know which to focus on. Volunteering enables you to explore each without making a long-term commitment. For example, if you’re passionate about helping to find a cure for cancer, why not dedicate some time to your local Macmillan group? If you’re obsessed with animals, Battersea Cats and Dogs Home are always on the lookout for help. Passionate about climate change? Contact Friends of the Earth. You get the idea.

You’ll soon find out which cause you’re most drawn to.

Volunteering can also help you figure out what you want from your working environment. For example, perhaps you like the idea of working for a large international organisation, but once there, you realise you’d be more comfortable at a small, family-run organisation. If you’d jumped into a paid role at a huge charity, you’d be stuck.

Having a clear idea of the sort of job and environment you want will enable you to be more discerning in your job search.

It’ll also help you back up interview answers with industry-specific examples.

3. It’ll hone your skills

As well as equipping you with the skills that many companies look for, volunteering can help you hone a range of important workplace attributes, such as communication, teamwork, and using your initiative.

Let’s face it: no-one’s perfect. We all need to brush up on some skills.

4. It can fill gaps on your CV

There are many reasons why you might have a gap on your CV. Maybe you were made redundant, fired, or you quit a job as it wasn't a good fit.

Regardless of the reason, CV gaps are a red flag to employers. They may see you as an unreliable hire who doesn't stick at roles. So, anything you can do to minimise their impact is crucial.

Volunteering is a fantastic thing to do and put on your CV while you’re between jobs.

5. It offers great networking opportunities

Volunteering is a great way to expand your network.

As a volunteer, you may well be invited to events and meetings, and/or have the opportunity to talk to employees about their roles and experience. Make a good impression and you may also get the ‘inside scoop’ on upcoming recruitment.

Keep a list of the contacts you make, from staff and board members to fellow volunteers, and suppliers. You never know who might help you in the future.

Where to start

Donating your time to a charity is just as meaningful and important as making a cash donation. But, with approximately 169,000 registered charities in the UK, how do you decide which to volunteer for?

Think about your goals. How much time can you give, and what do you want to achieve from it? Boost your network? Develop transferable skills? Or explore different working environments?

The opportunities that match your goals and interests will give you the most beneficial and rewarding experience.

Looking for work?

If you’ve done some volunteering and want to pursue a career in fundraising, call us on 0203 750 3111 for a chat. 

Spotlight On Safer London

Young people in London are at greater risk of violence than ever before. Between January and July 2021, 29% of all homicides in the capital involved teenagers. Evidence has also shown that each year, between 5,500 and 27,000 young Londoners are at risk of sexual abuse.

The statistics are shocking.

But Safer London is on a mission to make the capital a safer place for young people to live.

If you want to help them, this is your chance, as they’re hiring.

A Safer Vision

Safer London is an award-winning, London-wide charity that supports young men, women, and children affected by violence, exploitation, and crime.

The charity works closely with statutory, charitable, and community partners across each London borough to provide specialised, one-to-one, and group support and mentoring to young people, their families, and peers.

This support takes many forms, such as:

• Advocating for emotional well-being and mental health

• Supporting and advising peer groups at high risk of harm and exploitation

• Boosting families’ confidence to keep their children safe

• Helping young people access training, education and work

• Advising on housing, and helping young people find secure and safe homes

• Helping boys and men understand harmful sexual behaviours and the importance of healthy relationships

• Helping young women and girls who have experienced sexual abuse and exploitation

• Delivering emotional support to victims of abuse

• Helping teens escape County Lines via their participation in the Mayor of London’s Rescue & Response project

Safer London has three key areas of focus:

1. People

They work 1:1 with young people who have been affected by crime. The intervention is tailored to meet the young person’s needs - be it safety awareness, improving their health and well-being, or helping them find safe accommodation.

2. Peers

They provide training and mentoring sessions to peer groups who may be at a higher risk of exploitation or harm. Through these sessions they help young Londoners increase their awareness and confidence.

3. Places

They work with local authorities, charities, and businesses to ensure the places where young Londoners spend their time - be it schools, parks, youth groups or shopping centres, are safe.

Achievements

Safer London has made great strides since launching in 2005. Click here to see their 2020/21 Impact report. They’ve helped tens of thousands of young people escape the threat of gangs, exploitation, sexual violence, and abuse. But they’re not done yet. With the help of a savvy Trusts Fundraiser, they want to help thousands more.

This is where you come in.

Featured Job

The charity relies on charitable grants to carry out its essential work in the capital.

If you’re a system builder and perfect planner with Trusts and Foundations fundraising prowess, you could be just what they’re looking for.

Trust and Foundations Fundraiser:

• £35,000-38,000 P.A.

• Permanent

• 35 hours per week

• Based in Southwark

• Reporting to the Head of Business Development

If you’re a safe bet for this role, we want to hear from you. Send your CV to info@bamboofundraising.co.uk, or give us a call on 0203 750 3111 to find out more.