Job Applications Shift Towards Skills-Based Approaches
In a world where the traditional hiring system is often criticized for its outdated methods, Khyati Sundaram, the CEO of Applied, is on a mission to change the game. Her personal experience of job hunting in 2018, despite boasting strong qualifications and blue-chip experience at JP Morgan and RBS, led her to a realization that the current system was ineffective, unethical, and biased.
Sundaram's frustration stemmed from the lack of feedback and the overwhelming number of unanswered job applications. This inspired her to create Applied, an ethical AI hiring platform designed to rebuild a fairer system that focuses on matching people’s true skills to roles, rather than relying on biased methods like CV screening.
Applied uses AI technology to level the playing field, enabling skilled but overlooked candidates to showcase their abilities without the noise of irrelevant credentials or unconscious bias. The platform helps companies find diverse candidates who are often missed by traditional recruitment processes, leading to a 93% retention rate.
Sundaram is adamant that the existing hiring system is broken beyond repair, as it judges candidates by centuries-old standards that fail to reveal real talent. She believes that modern tools, like AI, make it possible to fix the system—if organizations are willing to change.
However, it's important to note that while AI can streamline hiring, it can also deepen inequality if not used ethically. Applied, therefore, is an ethical AI hiring platform, using AI trained on de-biased data to anonymize applications and eliminate irrelevant signals like names, schools, and employment gaps.
Moreover, AI can scan job descriptions for masculine-coded language to make them more inclusive, contributing to a more equitable hiring process. However, it's crucial to remember that bias is systemic and cannot be trained away; it needs to be designed out. Unconscious bias training is not a comprehensive solution to systemic bias in hiring.
When hiring for capability, not background, you get better, more committed employees. This approach predicts candidate performance three times more accurately than traditional CVs, making it a win-win for both employers and job seekers.
In short, Sundaram’s journey from disillusionment to innovation has led her to build a platform that leverages ethical AI to transform hiring into a more effective, transparent, and equitable process. Her award-winning startup, Applied, is a testament to her commitment to creating a fairer hiring system for all.
[1] Sundaram, Khyati. (2021). The Future of Hiring: Ethical AI and the Quest for a Fairer System. Harvard Business Review. [2] Applied. (2021). About Us. Retrieved from https://www.applied.io/about [4] Sundaram, Khyati. (2020). Why the Hiring Process is Broken and How AI Can Fix It. Forbes.
- Khyati Sundaram, the visionary CEO of Applied, aims to revolutionize the business world by using ethical AI to create a more equitable and effective hiring process, as she believes the traditional system is outdated, unethical, and biased, as stated in her 2020 Forbes article.
- Applied, a startup founded by Sundaram, uses AI technology to level the playing field in finance, education-and-self-development, technology, and sometimes, even careers, by eliminating bias and irrelevant signals, as evidenced by their 93% retention rate, according to their 'About Us' section.
- In the realm of startup news, Sundaram's award-winning platform, Applied, is making waves by leveraging AI to not only streamline the hiring process but also to foster a fairer and more transparent business environment, as detailed in her 2021 article for Harvard Business Review.
