Unconscious biases are still impacting hiring decisions
by Charlotte Garner
The topic of unconscious biases in recruitment is a well-worn issue and in fact, it is so well-worn, that many people believe it is a thing of the past.
The reality is, that despite our best intentions, unconscious biases - our deeply buried prejudices about people different from ourselves — continues to shape hiring decisions.
Let me give you an example…
If you prefer a candidate who went to University because you associate this with intelligence, it’s still a harmful unconscious bias. A background of higher education doesn’t automatically mean that person is more intelligent than other candidates.
But don’t feel too bad…
This bias can happen to all of us. Unconscious biases happen automatically in our brain and are based on social norms and stereotypes we grew up with. So, how can you change something you have absolutely no control over?
Awareness…
The point isn’t to get people to accept that they have biases, but to get them to see how those biases can affect their decisions. Training in awareness is the first step to unravelling unconscious bias because it not only allows you to realise that everyone possesses unconscious biases but assists you to identify your own.
What are some stereotypes and unconscious biases
The following list identifies common assumption traps that may limit a fair evaluation of a candidate’s suitability for a role.
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Halo effect
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Bias
Awareness
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One good comment or favourable impression at the beginning of an interview can impress us, blinding us to flaws that present themselves during the rest of the interview. And due to this positive initial impression, we may then tend to over-rate them on subsequent answers.
The problem can be minimised by structured interview methods that utilise response-rating scales and also by interviewer training to improve our skill in the area of objective questioning and response rating techniques. Keep an objective approach all through the assessment.
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Personal attraction
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Bias
Awareness
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Usually related to age, gender, physical features, dress style and first impressions. Because we like the applicant or do not like the applicant, based upon extraneous factors, we may come to the conclusion that they will or will not ‘fit’.
Beauty is somewhat in the eye of the beholder, and our impressions may be quite different to those of other team members. Team fit requires an objective analysis of areas such as the relationship between various work environments or job factors, the values, the attitudes and traits of the individual.
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Black cat syndrome
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Bias
Awareness
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“I once hired a person from the ABC Corporation and they turned out to be hopeless. I’m not hiring someone else who has worked there!”
The reasons for an individual’s non-performance will often be quite independent of the organisation they worked for!
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Cloning
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Bias
Awareness
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“I was motivated and worked really hard when I was in my late 20’s. This job requires a high level of motivation, so I want someone under 30.” Or, “Sally did a great job, I want someone just like Sally.”
Motivation is quite a complex construct to measure. An individual’s level of achievement drive will generally vary depending upon the situation they are in, their life experiences and inherited traits.
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Stereotyping
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Bias
Awareness
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We all have deeply held belief systems and often are unable to recognise when the things we believe are true, and when they are based on inaccurate information. Stereotyping can be both positive and negative, but either way they may lead us to make inaccurate decisions based on false or insufficient information.
The result of inaccurate stereotyping is that great candidates might not make it to the interview stage, or if they do, they will be perceived as less competent because of the interviewer's assumptions.
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What can you do about unconscious bias in recruiting?
For starters, just being aware of those biases and how they affect your decisions will help you make better hiring choices.
By improving your awareness of unconscious biases, you’ll become more self-aware of whether you are being influenced too heavily by your assumptions, expectations and preferences.
In return, you’ll strengthen your ability to make fairer, more informed decisions during recruitment that ensure you hire the best people for your business.
Be honest, not defensive. Acknowledge that you can’t always trust what your mind is telling you. Focus on what a candidate is actually saying and doing.
Prior to the interview, establish critical criteria - for fairly evaluating all candidates.
Standardise your interviews - ask everyone the same interview questions. In hiring the right person, going with your gut during an interview is not the best practice. Structured interviews, where each candidate is asked the same set of defined questions, minimises biases by allowing you to focus on the factors that have a direct impact on performance for the role.
Involve your team. If you find that you keep interviewing candidates with similar backgrounds, ask others to also interview the candidates as an added check.
Change your processes. For example, blind interviews involve removing identifying information from resumes, such as name, gender, age, and even schools, in favour of focusing on skills and experience alone.
Final thought…
The impact of unconscious biases can have far-reaching effects on a company, preventing it from hiring the best people for the job and robbing it of the diversity of backgrounds and ideas that can lead to better problem solving and, ultimately, improved business results.
If everyone is just like you, everyone will have the same ideas and come to the same conclusions. And that's not how great businesses are built.
For further information, contact Dixon Appointments on 03 9629 9999.
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