In 2014, Intel required that all interview panels include at least two women and/or employees from underrepresented groups. Since then, the number of diverse candidates who were hired increased. Before, 31% of new hires were women or People of Color. Just a few years later, they represented 45% of new hires.
That said, we urge caution on forcing representation. If you’re trying to hire a woman on your technology team, and you have no women in leadership who would be on your hiring panel, don’t invite an associate-level coder to join the interview just because she’s a woman. Sometimes, this kind of representation can backfire. Your candidate isn’t naive and can likely tell that this woman is much more junior than the rest of the interview panel, and it reinforces that you couldn’t find a single gender diverse interviewer to sit in. Instead, consider these other routes.
In conclusion, diverse interview panels have huge potential to help reduce unconscious bias in your hiring process and help your organization hire more diverse candidates. However, we urge you to avoid tokenism and ensure that anyone invited to be on the interview panel has an equal say in any hiring decisions.