Language of posts

The six questions

1. 1. Is it related to the job?

   English matters for client work, but the language someone uses with friends is not a test of their English.

   Concern
2. 2. Does it stand in for who someone is?

   Tracks home region (strong), language (direct), family income and background (weak). The signal is language.

   Fail
3. 3. Is it the right person?

   Language belongs to the account.

   Pass
4. 4. Did the candidate publish it, and would they expect an employer to use it this way?

   Candidates write to friends in the language they share.

   Concern
5. 5. Does it work equally for everyone?

   Penalises candidates from non-Hindi, non-English-speaking regions most.

   Concern
6. 6. Is there a less intrusive way?

   A less intrusive method answers the same question: Test English directly in the written exercise and interview.

   Fail

Evidence

• US Uniform Guidelines: the four-fifths ruleReference only

  A selection rate for any group that is less than four-fifths (80%) of the rate for the group with the highest rate is generally regarded as evidence of adverse impact.

• New York City Local Law 144: bias audits of hiring toolsReference only

  Employers using automated employment decision tools must commission an annual independent bias audit reporting selection rates and impact ratios by group, publish a summary, and notify candidates in advance.

• K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India: privacy and proportionalityIndian law

  The Supreme Court held privacy to be a fundamental right and applied a proportionality test to intrusions: a legitimate aim, a rational connection to it, no less restrictive means that would work, and a fair balance between the aim and the intrusion.

Where it fired in the sample

• Aditya Malhotra · LinkedIn · English

  “Grateful to the Kestrel alumni who mentored me through placement season.”