With an intense focus of eliminating bias in the recruitment world, Ansari launched the firm after his own experiences job-hunting lead him to uncover a problem in the current system
Jahanzaib Ansari is the co-founder and CEO of Knockri, an AI video recruiting tool that pre-screens and creates a short list of the best fitting applicants.
With an intense focus on eliminating bias in the recruitment world, Ansari and Maaz Rana launched the firm after Jahanzaib's experiences job-hunting lead them to uncover a problem in the current system.
We spoke to Ansari about the issues prevalent in hiring and debated what exactly the ‘ideal’ HR leader looks like.
“While it’s a known fact that diminishing unconscious bias can lead to a more ethnically and gender diverse organization, much needs to be done to accomplish this,” he explained.
“Most organizations suffer from similarity bias (or the ‘like me effect’), where hiring managers continuously hire the same type of talent due to favouring a personal or professional similarity in a candidate.
“Being able to identify precisely where there’s unconscious bias present in talent acquisition is extremely important. The second step is to ensure that a tool is in place which provides interviewing managers with a short-list of candidates, assessed solely based on merit.”
Diversity in hiring is fast becoming one of the main points of contention for HR leaders looking to foster a more inclusive workplace. Deloitte’s 2017 Global Human Capital Trends survey found that diversity is now a “CEO-level” issue, with the proportion of executives citing inclusion as a top priority having risen by 32% in three years.
Furthermore, 69% of executives rate diversity and inclusion an important issue today, with a further 38% claiming the primary sponsor of the organization’s inclusion efforts is the CEO.
So, where does this leave HR? Well, Ansari believes it’s the role of HR leaders to use empathy to drive cultural change.
“This can be accomplished in an organization’s culture of diversity and inclusion, where every employee is given the opportunity to excel,” he told us.
“An HR leader’s commitment to celebrating employee differences does not only mobilize social progression, but it also sparks the innovation needed to move their organization forward. That said, it’s clear that an HR leader’s success is not limited to their own.
“In fact, it is exhibited when they put their employees first and work towards creating an environment where career progression is a possibility for everyone.”
To hear more on these pressing issues, Ansari will be speaking at our upcoming Diversity and Inclusion Masterclass in Toronto on March 8th, 2018. See the full agenda and list of speakers here.
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