Virtual Talking Data Series: Barb Hyman, CEO, PredictiveHire

Topic: Why a data-driven approach is the only way to mitigate bias in hiring and promotion

Transparency and explainability are fundamental ingredients of trust, and there is plenty of research to show that high trust relationships create the most productive relationships and cultures. But humans don't often trust what we can’t see and we can’t trust what we don’t understand. This has led to a fair amount of distrust and fear when it comes to the use of Ai tools as a co-pilot for hiring and promotion decisions. Bias in the recruiting process has been an issue for as long as modern-day hiring practices existed. The idea of “blind applications” became a thing a few years ago, with companies removing names on applications thinking that it would remove any gender or racial profiling. It made a difference, but bias still existed through the schools that people attended, as well as the past experience they might have had. Interestingly, these are two things that have now been shown to have no impact on a person’s ability to do a job. This talk addresses why only a data-driven approach can interrupt the bias humans inevitably bring to people decisions.

About our speaker

Barb Hyman is an HR executive turned Ai startup CEO and alumnae of Melbourne Business School (MBA 1996). With a diverse background across law, the arts, technology and HR, this unique perspective has led her on a mission to reinvent how organisations make the most important decisions in business – who to hire and who to promote. She believes technology can help us truly humanize recruitment.