Facebook Mandates Interviewing at Least One Minority Candidate For Every Open Position...
June 30, 2015
Want to know when a startup culture has become all grown up? When you start doing things like forcing your managers to do certain things on the hiring front, like interviewing at least one minority candidate for every open position.
Believe it or not, this is where Facebook finds itself and the decision it's made in response to its workforce (like every other tech company in Silicon Valley) struggling from a diversity perspective.
More on Facebook starting something referred to as the Rooney rule from Bloomberg:
"Facebook is reportedly borrowing a concept from the National Football League as part of its efforts to boost diversity in its work force.
A source told Bloomberg that the social network began implementing a policy of having at least one minority candidate interview for open positions, and Facebook spokeswoman Genevieve Grdina confirmed the initiative to Bloomberg.
The NFL established the Rooney Rule, named after Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney, in 2003, mandating that teams with coaching vacancies interview at least one minority candidate."
How do you feel about this? You might be surprised that I like this - here's why...
I think you have to stop talking about Affirmative Action and start talking about how the world works as you consider this one. On many occasions, hiring managers have a candidate in mind that they think they want to plug into a job. When this happens, they're usually so set on the decision that they think any other interviews may be a waste of time. The tough part about that is that your company still has a process, and the hiring manager needs to put forth a little more effort.
Let's say your hiring manager has a candidate they think would be great for the job, but your version of the Rooney rule is in effect. Your company has a process that says a minority candidate must have an interview with the hiring manager in question. Your hiring manager doesn't want to do it, and he's bitching about it. You're faced with the classic catch-22 - you either force the process and risk looking like a bureaucrat, or you let the hiring manager do his thing without interviewing a minority candidate.
I'm tagged as a capitalist. You might think I would support the need to skip the minority interview, right? But I don't, and here's why. I've learned that for every 10 interviews you make a hiring manager do against their will, they are going to get 2-3 pleasant surprises, meaning they're impressed enough by the candidate in question that they'll change their mind and offer them the job, or they'll put the memory on reserve and as a result, hire them for a future role.
Of course, it takes a skilled HR/Recruiting Pro to pull off the marketing required to maximize the chances the hiring manager truly has an open mind.
That's why you get the big bucks.