Blind Interviewers Destroy Job Recruitment Stereotypes

A job interview, by definition, is a dialog that happens between the recruiter and the alleged employee. The conversation gives employers the opportunity to find out more about the person who wants to get a new job and allows them to discover more information about what exactly lies behind the applicant’s social image. The “interview method” has become one of the most popular ways to recruit and select a new employee. Sadly, it also represents a highly subjective selection method because it is often based on bias and stereotypes.

Centro de Rehabilitación Visual Integral (Eye Rehabilitation Center – CRAC) believes that recruitment has to evolve. Employers should be less subjective when conducting interviews and evaluate the true skills of potential employees rather than to judge other aspects, such as their look. Sadly, the evaluation of the candidates’ physical appearance does happen, which transforms the interview into a not-so-transparent-and-honest process. So, if the person that’s in front of the employer has lots of tattoos for example, but great working skills, they might lose the chance of being hired just because he or she were judged by the way they look.

with McCANN Colombia, launched “Blind Interviews,” a campaign which aims to prove that nothing is what it seems to be. In order for the candidates to not feel judged during the interview, this one gets down in a different way; unusual interviewers appear in front of the potential employees. Why unusual might you ask? Because they are all blind.

People with visual disability are more than capable of running an interview and supporting headhunters throughout the hiring processes while also being free of bias and prejudice about physical appearances. “Diversity and inclusion are a strong motivation to seek creative ideas that have a meaningful role in the life of society,” added Alejandro Bermúdez, Chief Creative Officer of McCann Colombia. “With Blind Interviews, we look for including people with visual disability to working life, developing their skills and abilities, to deliver a service free of bias to many companies that are now changing their selection and recruitment processes.”

Catalina Esteban Reverend, Communications Director of CRAC also explained how the Center tries to help those with impaired vision: “Every day we work in order to break paradigms and stereotypes of society about visual disability. With this campaign [we] worked with McCANN team, we have achieved that many social sectors and the public opinion could find out our work and the impact of integral rehabilitation in the empowerment of people with visual disability for their social inclusion.” The Integral Visual Rehabilitation has already been supported by Grupo Contacto, an important headhunter company in the country.

The campaign—which airs on TV, YouTube, Facebook, and Google Display Network—represents one of CRAC’s creative ways to introduce their incredible work for people who are misunderstood because of some superficial aspects. Plus, it shows an intriguing method to boost the self-esteem of visually-impaired people, as this action encourages them to recover their independence and autonomy, by giving them exactly what they need to rejoin the social and working life. Kudos!