No one wants to think they are displaying discrimination in their hiring process. But heres the problem: our brains are doing it for us whether we like it or not! Unconscious Bias is what helps our brain cope with the incomprehensible amount of information we receive every second of the day. Where it becomes a problem is when unconscious bias plays out in our hiring process and causes us to overlook great talent.
Known as affinity bias, the ideal candidate is often the person you like the most. This one is hard to overcome if you can picture having a drink at the pub with someone, it’s likely that you’ll picture them as a good cultural fit for your team or business too. But likeability is not an indicator of how well someone would perform in the workplace. Similarly, when we are successful in our jobs or have a high performing team member, we look for more people with the same characteristics. This can turn into confirmation bias, when our brains instinctively look for information that confirms what we already know.
Of course, building an entire team with similar interests, backgrounds and experiences is not going to lead to a diverse workplace with fresh and challenging ideas. Google’s CEO, Sundar Pichai, sums it up brilliantly when he said:
Instead of focusing on culture fit, look at hiring a culture add. Find someone that can contribute unique qualities that would have a positive impact on your team and move your business forward. To lean on the pub analogy again, instead of thinking about who you want to have a drink with, think about who would help you win at pub trivia. Diversifying knowledge, experience, and backgrounds within your team improves your chances of success.
Create a structured applicant review and interview process so that your team will be able to compare applications equally. This should include a set of standardised, skill-based questions that provide each candidate with a fair chance of standing out. While every interview will lend itself to a unique conversation, it will prevent your team from asking too many questions that may lead to bias.
Known as the halo effect, our brains have a tendency to take one piece of impressive information and give it too much weight. We let this one fact rule of our judgement of a person. One superficial example of this is that people who are deemed attractive are generally assumed to be more intelligent, more trustworthy, and even earn higher salaries. The halo effect can also apply to a candidate’s previous experience at a highly regarded company or an elite school. If you have ever thought this person is perfect for the role! within a short time, you have probably experienced the halo effect.
When reviewing a stack of applications, it’s natural to want to look for something unique that makes a candidate stand out from the rest. But it’s worth considering that this dazzling attribute may come to a privileged few. To unearth great candidates who may not have had the same opportunities, don’t focus on where they have come from look at where they are going. Do they have the skills and drive to challenge themselves and your business.
The reverse of the halo effect is the ‘horns effect’ a bias that causes hiring teams to weed out candidates based on a trait that doesn’t align with their preferences. Perhaps a candidate worked at a company you dislike, or you were bothered by a mannerism displayed during the interview. These traits can alter your perception of a candidate, even though it has no bearing on their ability to do a job.
Challenge yourself to examine where any negative feelings are coming from. This will help you determine if it’s a real concern or something that shouldn’t affect their chance at the role.
The name at the top of a resume is an area where unconscious bias can really bite us. Names give away clues like a candidate’s gender, religion, and background. As uncomfortable as it is to admit, this hits applicants from minority backgrounds the hardest.
I have seen this firsthand with an incredible candidate I placed a few years ago. He was a talented Business Analyst who relocated from Africa. But when I saw his resume, he was working as a postman. After months of applying for BA roles, he never received a single response, and he needed to take a job to support his family. When I sent him as a candidate to one of Australia’s top banks, he was hired immediately for a contract position. He has since been promoted and is now recruiting staff for his own team. All he needed was someone to look at his skills over his name and background.
One way to avoid name bias is to conduct blind screenings of applications, excluding details that may reveal clues towards their gender, background, and interests. This allows you to compare candidates based on skills and merit, rather than personal traits. Having diversity targets and policies on equitable hiring practices can also go a long way in ensuring that names aren’t getting candidates struck off the interview list.
