Fair recruitment: How to break the vicious application cycle?

Fair recruitment: How to break the vicious application cycle?

Do you ever feel like the recruitment process isn't fair? You're sure you have what it takes to succeed in a role, but due to lack of work experience, you don't get the chance to prove it.

Job seekers often find themselves in a vicious cycle: no work experience means no job, and no job means no work experience. Not only is this unfair, it's unethical. The frustrating part is that it leaves potential untapped — for both the individual and the broader labor market. How can we, as recruiters, improve the hiring process?

The old-fashioned, close-minded way

Currently, candidates’ fit is still primarily assessed by their work experience and education. Though these can be useful indicators for a job, they are not benchmarks for long-term success. This method excludes candidates who have followed a not-so-standard path, but do have everything it takes to be great at the tasks. Take for example recent graduates with promising talents, career changers with relevant transferable skills, or neurodiverse talents whose unique thinking and skills are not directly visible on a CV. They, too, deserve a fair chance to prove themselves. Rejecting them based on a quick glance at their CV no longer fits in the dynamics and demands of the current labor market, where flexibility, adaptability, and innovation are becoming increasingly crucial.

How do we create fair chances?

With brain-based assessments! These assessments don’t see the candidate’s past — they only see objective, innate cognitive skills and talents. These are true indicators of how one learns, solves problems, adapts, and performs under pressure.

By knowing what a candidate is naturally good at and recognizing the value of these insights, better and more sustainable matches can be made. Recognizing talents and skills is beneficial for the candidate, but especially for the organization. Selecting individuals naturally suited to their roles sets the stage for a future in which we:

• look beyond bias
• discover all hidden talents
• no longer experience work-related stress
• have more diversity and innovation in the workplace
• are future-proof

Traditional recruitment processes are outdated. It’s time to look beyond CVs and hire based on what people can do — not just what’s on paper. It should be the norm for everyone to get a fair chance at a job in which they can excel. Unused talent is present in abundance — so start using it. The future moves faster when more people can join.