AI Recruitment Shows Bias Against Women

It has recently been revealed that Amazon previously used a recruiting tool that had a bias against women. Amazon, who abandoned this tool in 2015, stated that its models were made to favor men over women after ten years of analyzing the resumes of the male-dominated tech industry.

So why were these tools favoring women? What are companies doing to prevent hiring bias? And how can women overcome this common bias? We spoke with Arran Stewart, co-owner of recruitment platform Job.com, about these issues.

Why are recruiting tools displaying bias against women?

Because there are more men in tech who are coding these platforms, unconsciously writing code in masculine language.

How can companies prevent bias against women in their recruitment technology?

Employ and encourage more female coders and create the necessary bias test scenarios that must be passed before a platform can be released.

What can women do to overcome bias in the hiring process and increase their chances of getting the job?

In general, AI systems work best in identifying skills. Make sure your resume is keyword rich in skills you have.

Unfortunately gender bias will continue to exist in many industries and women will need to work harder to overcome these biases in order to land the best jobs. If you’re concerned about bias in recruiting, the best thing is to have human eyes see your resume.

If possible, get names of hiring managers and forward your resume directly to them. Also work on key words in your resume, ensuring that your resume and cover letter contain focus words mentioned in job ads. Finally, keep your resume as gender-neutral as possible.

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