Q:  Call me naïve, but in the last year I’ve realized there are apparently more people with sympathetic views about white supremacy than I imagined.

I certainly want to avoid hiring someone with those views, but I don’t suppose I could just ask someone “are you a racist?” during an interview.

What’s a good way to gauge someone’s view on race prior to hiring them?

A:  Yikes! I am reluctant to answer this question because it’s so sticky.  But it’s important, so let’s venture in.

First, let’s differentiate between racist beliefs and white supremacy beliefs.

Paraphrasing Oxford – racism is showing pre-judgment against people of other races or believing that a particular race is better than another.

I think this is the most benign view of garden-variety racism.  If we are being honest –as an old friend used to say—most of us are “recovering racists”.  We (of all races) suffer from unconscious bias about other races and sometimes we might even think we are a little better than they are.    We try not to, we know we shouldn’t, we keep ourselves in check and don’t harbor ill-will in our hearts. The majority of us fall in this category.  We are recovering racists, but we want to do better.

White supremacists on the other hand, have animosity and actually believe that the white race is superior to all other races:  Intellectually, physically, historically. Although they’re aware this isn’t a socially acceptable point of view – even if given permission over the last year —  they know they can’t openly say so when applying for a job.

So how do we differentiate a “recovering racist” from a white supremacist during an interview? 

Well, not by asking a direct question, like “Do you think racism is bad?  Or “Do you belong to a white supremacy group?”  These would be counterproductive:  Regular candidates will be put-off or offended and white supremacists probably will say no, and no.

Consider open ended questions instead:

“Without getting political , What do you think about race issues in the country right now?”

“What do you think we can do to would improve race issues?”

Listen carefully.  Is the answer tinged with grievance/animosity? or is about problem-solving, understanding, tolerance?  The tone, will tell you what you need to know.

Readers, what would you ask?

©Copyright Eva Del Rio

Eva Del Rio is creator of HR Box™ – tools for small businesses and startups. Send questions to Eva@evadelrio.com