Blind Spot: Heighten Bias Awareness and

Center DEI in your Hiring

Kara Morrissey, TWC Board Chair Alysia Lee, Equity Strategist

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

-Margaret Mead

“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”

-James Baldwin

Creative Meeting Guidelines

● Celebrate being in the space with other creative people.

● Like you, everyone in the room has experience and history.

● Assume good intent, but recognize that impact matters.

● Listen. Be open to new thinking from yourself and others.

● Two things can be true.

● Be a change agent. Lean into discomfort.

● Perfection is not real.

WARM-UP:‘Story Time

Jot down any thoughts!

Story Time

“A father and son were involved in a car accident in which the father

was killed and the son was seriously injured. The father was pronounced

dead at the scene of the accident and his body was taken to a local

morgue. The son was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital and was

immediately wheeled into an emergency operating room. A surgeon

was called. Upon arrival and seeing the patient, the attending surgeon

exclaimed “Oh my God, it’s my son!’ Can you explain this?”

DEI

the guarantee of fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for all while striving to identify and eliminate barriers that have prevented the full participation of some groups.

Equity & Justice:

OperationalizeEquity & Justice in Your Organization

Traditional HiringTwo Steps:

1. Recruitment2. Hiring

Updated Hiring

Interview & Selection05● Create a diverse resume review /interview panel.● Incorporate debrief sessions after each interview.● Hire the best candidate, not the candidate with the

best scores.

Interview Questions04● Prepare tangible benchmarks for interview

questions. ● Include question/s regarding equity and social

justice

Recruitment03● Engage a wide variety of diverse stakeholder

groups. ● Post the position internally/externally to minimize

unintended consequences and disproportionate impacts.

Position Description02● Evaluating position requirements {educational,

experiences, and physical requirements)● Mitigate any unintended consequences or

disproportionate impacts● Update Position Description.

Organization Knowledge01● Analyzing industry and organization data● Building intentionally diverse relationships● Impact and visionary expectations for the position

01.Organization Knowledge

Organization Knowledge01

● Analyzing industry and organization data

● Building intentionally diverse relationships

● Impact and visionary expectations for the position

02. Position Description

Position Description02● Evaluating position requirements {educational,

experiences, and physical requirements)● Mitigate any unintended consequences or

disproportionate impacts● Update Position Description.

03. Recruitment

Recruitment03● Engage a wide variety of diverse stakeholder

groups. ● Post the position internally/externally to minimize

unintended consequences and disproportionate impacts.

04. Interview Questions

Interview Questions04● Prepare tangible benchmarks for interview

questions● Include question/s regarding equity and social

justice

05. Interview & Selection

Interview & Selection05 ● Use the FOUR POINT SYSTEM

4-Point SystemFor Interviewing

PrepareUpdated Hiring Practices + diverse panel

BeforeBriefing panelists on organization priorities

DuringAsking questions with equity in mind

AfterDebriefing to clarify priorities

Take a minute right now to think about what in your organization needs more analysis and

what is a first step you can take.