Inclusion, Inc.

CHAPTER 6Help Wanted—Inclusive Recruiting

Today, my colleague Aaron is a principal at an accounting firm, but he can recall, still with a wince, when he applied for a role as an accounting specialist at a content streaming company. He had made it through the original resume review, a phone interview, and two rounds of in-person interviews. The only task standing between him and a potential offer was a personality test. He figured this was a formality, an exercise that wouldn't strongly influence the hiring team's decision.

He was given 30 minutes from his login time to finish the test. He imagined the first questions were supposed to be the softballs:

Do you believe you get along well with others?

Are you someone that other people trust?

There were two answer choices: Yes or No.

The “right” answers seemed obvious, but even these “easy” questions were hard for someone with an analytical mind and a strong moral code. “Who would say ‘no’ to either question?” Aaron wondered. “Is that the real test—assessing how honest I am? I may not have always gotten along with everyone. By ‘get along well with others’ are they actually asking if I'm afraid of conflict?”

The second half of the test got trickier:

Do you work better by yourself or in a team?

Aaron started to question if the test was assessing whether he was a good fit for the role or a good fit for the company. Someone who likes working alone could be a good fit for an accountant role, but anyone in the company would still need ...