There are a lot of reasons people get turned down for jobs. According to new research, rejected candidates often believe illegal bias is one of them.
More than a quarter of people surveyed (27%) said they’ve been discriminated against when seeking a job or promotion, according to FindLaw.com.
The most common biases claimed were race and age. The breakdown of perceptions, by group:
- 42% of African-Americans say they’ve been discriminated against because of race
- 15% of people over 45 claim they’ve experienced age bias (so did 13% of those under 25, who aren’t protected by law), and
- 1 in 10 women say they’ve run into gender discrimination.
Of course, that doesn’t mean most companies are actually discriminating. But with the perception of discrimination so high, it’s imperative for hiring managers to be trained on how to make fair decisions and conduct interviews properly.
Avoiding comments and questions related to protected classes and keeping proper applicant and interview records can help prove hiring decisions were based on legitimate criteria.
