Whether it be because of a subconscious urge to maintain a status quo or wholly intentional, there’s a clear problem with hiring practices in America. A disproportionate number of jobs in multiple sectors go to white men while women of all races and other people of color are often left out to compete for what’s left.

To help combat this, Stephanie Lampkin, an engineer who has been working in technology since she was a teenager and graduated from Stanford and MIT, has launched a new blind recruitment app called Blendoor, according to the Grio.

“Blendoor is a mobile job matching app that hides candidate name and photo to circumvent unconscious bias and facilitate diversity recruiting in tech companies,” says the Blendoor website. “Studies have shown that two identical resumes with only a name difference (i.e., Joe to Jose) can yield 100% difference in the response rate. Our goal is to highlight the information that’s most relevant to a candidate being a “good fit” independent of race, gender, ability, military history or sexual orientation. Blendoor was founded by a Stanford Engineer and MIT Sloan MBA.”

The app will submit job applications to companies with the names and photos of the candidates redacted to make sure that they’re all being considered on equal grounds.

“My company resonates more with white men when I position it as, ‘hey, I want to help you find the best talent. Your unconscious mind isn’t racist, sexist — it’s totally natural, and we’re trying to help you circumvent it,’” Lampkin told Forbes.

So far, almost 20 tech firms are signed up to use the app and the number is sure to rise if all goes according to plan. The app will also collect data over time to see if people are matching jobs that meet their qualifications.

 

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