What is Culture Sensitivity Test?

The world, at least in the corporate sense, has now almost become a global village. One result of this is multiculturalism in the workplace, with people of different races, religions, economic disparities, nationalities, and genders working together. This makes the workplace a melting pot of different cultures, which means companies must make policies that do not discriminate against anyone. This is where organizations now deploy culture sensitivity tests to check their employees’ awareness, knowledge, and skills when interacting with people from different cultures.

A culture sensitivity test could include scenarios, questions, or prompts to check candidates’ reactions to cultural differences. The aim of this test is to ensure that companies only hire employees who can interact respectfully and inclusively.

Culture Sensitivity Test 

A culture sensitivity test generally aims at checking six things:

• Self-Awareness
• Cultural awareness
• Communication Skills
• Empathy
• Adaptability 
• Inclusion Skills

So, a good culture sensitivity test should assess a candidate on all these aspects to determine whether they can interact inclusively in a corporate structure. 

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Self Awareness 

The main aim of this part of the culture sensitivity test is to test a candidate’s personal biases, stereotypes, and assumptions that they may have.  For example, every person has their own biases and stereotypes, but most of them won’t even know they are exhibiting discriminatory behavior. However, a culture sensitivity test tests how comfortable one feels discussing cultural differences. This test also establishes how different candidates react to the cultural differences within the company.

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Questions

Examples of self-awareness questions are as follows:

• How often do you reflect on your own cultural values and how they shape your perceptions?
• (a) Never
• (b) Rarely
• (c) Sometimes
• (d) Frequently 

• Have you ever recognized and corrected a stereotype you held about another culture?
• (a) Yes
• (b) No

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Cultural awareness

This aspect of the test tests a candidate’s knowledge of the norms, values, and traditions of different cultural groups. The aim of this part is to see whether the candidate has the information to communicate respectfully in a diverse cultural workplace. The candidates may be tested on their knowledge of different cultural norms and traditions, understanding how they communicate, being sensitive to cultural practices, and avoiding any stereotypes and assumptions that may be deemed offensive.

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Questions

Examples of cultural awareness questions are as follows:

• Which of the following is an example of cultural awareness?
• (a) Assuming everyone has the same holidays and traditions
• (b) Learning about different cultural practices and respecting them
• (c) Expecting others to adapt to your own cultural norms
• (d) Avoiding discussions about culture altogether

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Communication Skills

One of the most important aspects of any employee at a workplace is to communicate with their peers, juniors, or seniors. Communication is the way ideas are shared, conflicts are resolved, and work in collaboration. However, any misunderstanding in this process can have disastrous consequences in the workplace. Candidates also understand that miscommunication can occur in both verbal and nonverbal communication and thus must work to improve both facets. After communication, candidates will also be tested on their listening skills. Finally, candidates also will be tested on how inclusive their language is.

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Questions

Examples of communication skills questions are as follows:

• Due to their cultural background, colleagues use nonverbal cues more than verbal communication. How do you ensure effective communication?
• (a) Dismiss the nonverbal cues and focus on spoken words
• (b) Observe their nonverbal signals and adapt your communication style
• (c) Ask them to be more direct
• (d) Avoid communication to prevent misunderstandings

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Empathy

No employee in the workplace can excel in a cultural sensitivity test without being empathetic. It is because no employee can truly understand the cultural differences in a workplace without understanding cultural differences, connecting meaningfully, and navigating differences within the workplace. Empathy can be categorized into three parts: cognitive (understanding others’ thoughts), emotional(sharing emotions of others), and compassionate (taking steps to help others facing the same challenges). Exhibiting empathetic behavior also creates an atmosphere of trust in the workplace.

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Questions 

Examples of empathetic questions are as follows:

• A coworker from a different cultural background expresses frustration over being misunderstood. How do you respond?
• (a) Dismiss their concerns and move on
• (b) Actively listen and ask questions to understand their perspective
• (c) Suggest they adapt to the dominant culture
• (d) Avoid further interaction to prevent conflict

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Adaptability 

Every employee is unique in the way they think and exhibit biases, among other things. However, in a corporate setting, every employee must be a little flexible and show adaptability in terms of behavior, communication style, and mindset. This standardization of employees’ behavior creates a kind of Common Minimum Programme where every employee agrees to a set of rules that everyone must follow in the workplace. Adaptability includes opening oneself up to cultural nuances, resilience, behavioral adjustment, and conflict resolution.

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Questions 

Examples of empathetic questions are as follows:

• One group values punctuality in a culturally diverse team, while another sees schedules as flexible. How do you handle this?
• (a) Insist everyone follows strict schedules
• (b) Balance the needs of both groups through mutual understanding
• (c) Ignore the difference and proceed with your own style
• (d) Assume one group will adapt eventually

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Inclusion Skills

In this part, the culture sensitivity test focuses on assessing whether the employees will help create an environment where everyone feels valued and respected. However, such an environment can only be created when both parties, i.e., employees and management, pull up their weight. So, while employees should exhibit inclusive behavior, management should also ensure that each of them is being treated in a fair and equitable manner. Companies should also encourage diverse practices and identify and stop any exclusionary practices in the workplace.

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Questions 

Examples of inclusion skills questions are as follows:

• How do you create an inclusive environment for a culturally diverse team?
• (a) Encourage open dialogue about cultural differences
• (b) Avoid discussing cultural differences to prevent conflict
• (c) Expect everyone to adapt to the same norms
• (d) Focus only on the majority culture’s preferences

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Advantages of Culture Sensitivity Test 

Promotes Self-Awareness

One of the major advantages of the culture sensitivity test is that it promotes self-awareness among employees regarding their biases, assumptions, and stereotypes. This helps them with information that they can use to improve themselves. In the longer run, this self-awareness can foster personal growth and help the individual become more open-minded and receptive to new ideas.

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Improves Interpersonal Relationships

Employees who have the skills to work efficiently in a diverse workplace will always find it easy to build and improve interpersonal relationships. Such employees will also help the company create an environment of trust and collaboration. This also increases the chance of misunderstandings and conflicts in the workplace that may have arisen due to the differences in various cultures.

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Reduces Discrimination and Bias

Adhering to a culture sensitivity test can also help an organization make the recruitment process more equitable. It has already been established that the recruitment process’s greatest obstacle is bias, and that too unconsciously. The only way to counter this is for employees to admit that they can be susceptible to biases and stereotypes. The sensitivity test is thus a great way for employees to recognize the areas where they need to improve.

A great way to improve cultural sensitivity is to alter your hiring process to identify and recruit candidates that may align with the company’s values. However, hiring for such candidates involves a lot of manpower and time.

This is where we present to you BarRaiser, a state-of-the-art AI-based interview assistant that will take the quality of your hiring to the next level. With BarRaiser, recruiters can create a detailed interview plan for candidates. The interviewer can give specific instructions to our AI bot to create an interview, such as:

• The questions for the interview 
• The number of rounds for the interview 
• The duration of the interview and its specific sub-parts 
• The number of parts that the interview must be divided into and their durations 
• Must have questions 
• The number of experience required for the job posting 
• Must have skills
• Additional Skills 

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Using these instructions, our tool will create a Structured interview format to ensure an unbiased candidate selection process.

After this, our AI Interview Copilot assists the interviewer, giving them specific instructions. For example, if the interview exceeds the time limit, the AI bot will alert the recruiter to speed up the process. In addition, we are also committed to making our process as unbiased as possible. This is why our AI transcribes and records every interview and immediately raises an alert if the recruiter uses language that might be considered discriminatory to the candidate. 

After the interview, the AI asks for a detailed review of the candidate from the interviewer. We believe that our tool is an assistant and not the decision maker, so it formulates answers only after receiving instructions from the interviewer. While this is happening, the AI is also creating another report that measures the recruiter’s effectiveness and their performance. This report acts as a check and balance to ensure accountability for every stakeholder involved in the recruitment process.

Using BarRaiser, we guarantee Quality hiring that will bolster Diversity and inclusion. BarRaiser is the best AI Interview platform that features Structured interviews and tools to ensure quality hiring while eliminating recruitment bias. With BarRaiser’s support, you’ll be well-equipped to build a strong team of sales associates who will drive sales and deliver exceptional customer service.