Blind audition

A blind audition refers to a way of spotting the skills being tested, while the candidate performs from behind a wall or screen. The purpose is to assure that the decision-makers are judging the person solely on his or her performance, with no consideration of appearance, name or implicit bias.

History

Research published in American Economic Review suggests the use of blind auditions also changed the role that gender apparently plays during auditions. According to a 2001 study by Cecilia Rouse of Princeton and Claudia Goldin of Harvard, the introduction of blind auditions to American symphony orchestras increased the probability that a woman would advance from preliminary rounds by 50 percent. According to the study, among those symphonies, "about 10 percent of orchestra members were female around 1970, compared to about 35 percent in the mid-1990s. Rouse and Goldin attribute about 30 percent of this gain to the advent of blind auditions."[1]

Jazz bassist and clinical psychologist Art Davis is known for launching a legal case which led to the current system of blind auditions for orchestras.[2][3]

In 2010, the competitive talent show The Voice of Holland introduced the use of blind auditions to televised talent shows; the format was then quickly franchised to dozens of other countries.

Recruitment and hiring

Inspired by the The Voice of Holland [4] technology company GapJumpers is using blind auditions to help tech companies evaluate job candidates based on talent alone.

Blind testing, much research has proven, often results in the hiring of more women and minorities because it eliminates the opportunities for bias to influence who makes the cut.

Dolby Laboratories said it recently hired an engineering intern who probably would have otherwise been passed over due to a lack of experience and academic pedigree.[5]

The Editor-in-Chief at VentureBeat announced Blind Auditions for his publication to hire new tech journalists. Based in the center of the Silicon Valley tech startup scene, VentureBeat's leader is hoping that his new approach will lead to more women journalists covering tech, but even he admits that only time will tell. [6]

Research published in American Economic Review suggests that racial discrimination is still a prominent feature of the labor market. [7]

References

  1. ↑ Marks, Marilyn (February 12, 2001). "Blind auditions key to hiring musicians". Princeton Weekly Bulletin. Retrieved 2012-12-28.
  2. ↑ Stewart, Jocelyn Y. (August 5, 2007). "Art Davis, renowned bassist, dies at 73". Los Angeles Times obituary. Seattle Times. Retrieved 2012-12-28.
  3. ↑ Osborne, William. "Blind Auditions and Moral Myopia". osborne-conant.org. Retrieved 2012-12-28.
  4. ↑ "They don't call it colorblind for nothing", January 29, 2015.
  5. ↑ SF Chronicle. "For some startups, tech’s lack of diversity is a goldmine", January 30, 2015.
  6. ↑ Huff Post Tech. "Can Blind Auditions Change the Ratio of Women in Tech Journalism?", January 30, 2015.
  7. ↑ NBER Working Paper No. 9873 "Are Emily and Greg More Employable than Lakisha and Jamal? A Field Experiment on Labor Market Discrimination", July 2003.