What If All Job Applicants Were Anonymous?

I know how this sounds, so please bear with me. There are many problems with the job “market” as it currently stands. All the power is on the side of employers (which is why I hesitate to call it a market in the first place). Favoritism and nepotism are rampant. The process rewards salesmanship over ability. There’s tons of discrimination. Merit is a myth. Biases are everywhere. In other words, it’s a mess.

One thing that could help with most of these problems is simple anonymity. The applicants cannot use any personally identifiable information, including their names. Interviews are blind and deaf. Resumes are standardized. And no questions that would give away age, ethnicity, gender, sex, height, or anything else are allowed. All questions must be about the work needed.

If this were the case, they only thing employers could go on when hiring is whether or not the applicant can do the job. There would be no bias, discrimination, favoritism, nepotism, or anything else. It would be simple and fair. And it could help with broad societal problems like the gender pay gap and racism.

There would have to be some safeguards to make sure people don’t lie about their capabilities. But that wouldn’t even be much of a change. Lying on your resume or in an interview is already a fire-able offense. Imagine a world where everyone had an equal shot at getting a job they’re qualified for. It sounds pretty nice to me.

p.s. I know I didn’t explain in much detail. If you’d like clarification on any of this, let me know.