🤓 Researchers sent 83,000 fake job applications to biggest U.S. companies to test for discrimination. Here are the findings.

by Alex Funkhouser

This week, the researchers revealed the names of the companies that discriminated most against Black or female applicants in their study.

In 2021, a group of researchers published the results of a wide-ranging experiment they had conducted to examine the hiring practices of leading employers across the country. Over the course of two years, they submitted more than 83,000 fake job applications for 11,000 entry-level positions at more than a hundred of the largest U.S. companies by revenue. The researchers sent in nearly identical sets of applications with names that were “distinctively Black” or “distinctively white”—as well as names that were gendered—to test for discriminatory hiring practices.

When reached for comment, a CVS spokesperson told Fast Company, “Ensuring diversity in our hiring practices is a high priority. We are focused on hiring, developing, and retaining a talented workforce that represents and reflects the diversity of our customers, patients, and communities we serve. The study highlights an area that we already address: ensuring that a diverse slate of candidates have opportunities to succeed.” (Costco did not respond to a request for comment.)

When the researchers first presented their findings, they withheld the names of the companies in question but shared that, on average, Black candidates did hear back from prospective employers less frequently. Much of the discrimination was, however, concentrated in certain industries—namely, auto and retail—and among a select group of companies.

This week, the researchers finally revealed company names and created a “discrimination report card,” which disclosed that two auto companies—AutoNation and Genuine Parts—had the highest rates of discrimination against Black applicants. (AutoNation did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for Genuine Parts said In a statement, “We are always evaluating our practices to ensure inclusivity and break down barriers, and we will continue to do so.”)

Read the complete Fast Company artice BY PAVITHRA MOHAN: https://www.fastcompany.com/91089772/researchers-submitted-83000-fake-job-apps-to-see-if-the-biggest-u-s-companies-discriminate-heres-what-they-found

⚖️ A shockingly high number of hiring managers ask illegal questions during job interviews

by Alex Funkhouser

Questions about citizenship, race, disability, or other characteristics often skirt what’s allowed by law. Here’s what to do if you’re asked one.

Throughout the hiring process, managers typically assess a candidate’s suitability for a role by investigating their experience, communication abilities, and other relevant professional attributes. Nevertheless, some hiring managers continue to overstep boundaries by probing into protected information such as age, identity, disabilities, or familial status.

Of the men surveyed, 38% admit to asking illegal questions, compared with 23% of women. Women are believed to ask illegal questions less often due to their experiences “being on the other side of an illegal question” and losing out on an “opportunity because of it.”

A Resume Builder study that surveyed 1,000 U.S. hiring managers found that 1 in 3 hiring managers say that they knowingly ask illegal questions. Here is what you need to know:

• Hiring managers want to know how other priorities and situations affect employees’ ability to work
• Men are more likely to knowingly ask illegal questions than women
• Applicants often don’t know when they are being asked an illegal question

Read the complete Fast Company article BY CLAIRE ZHAO: https://www.fastcompany.com/91092181/hiring-managers-ask-illegal-questions-during-job-interviews