Recruitment interview biases you probably have too
If you didn’t do it yourself, how many times have you witnessed the following scenario?
Comes in late for the interview and starts bashing the interviewee with 10 minutes of personal curiosities followed by another 20 minutes of conversation with no relation whatsoever to the scope of the meeting. He has his mind already made up since the first 5 minutes of the interview.
Extra points if he tells the conclusion on the spot.
When confronted with the reality, he’ll insist he has a “thing” for people and he knows what’s what.
In the following sentences, we’re going through some of the most common biases each of us has had or seen in others:
The “I have a gut feeling”
Recruiting is more a science than an art and sciences come with systems instead of personal revelations. And that’s fine because systems are beneficial to organizations. Your gut feelings might be just what you need to tell good from bad and friends from foes. Even if you’re gifted with the power to tell future star employees from plain bad ones, your “thing” cannot be systemized and therefore reproduced by your colleagues and those to follow you in line.
“He’s like me when I first started”
Who said you're a success story? There might have been someone “just like you” in your first day here and now you’re caught in an infinite loop of bringing questionable performers in the organization, generation after generation. Break the habit.
Or you’re the real deal. The employee of the year. In this case, Congratulation! But he’s just not you.
Humans are not simple input-output machines. Even if you provide him with the exact same opportunities and experiences, there’s no real guarantee he’ll turn out as expected.
“Everyone deserves a chance”
Of course. Of course, everyone deserves a chance. But you’re task here is exactly that: make sure not everyone is getting this chance. At least here, at the company that you’re representing.
I know someone who spends her lunch breaks to find better opportunities for those who don’t match her current criteria somewhere else. Wonderful. But this doesn’t stop her to give her candidates an honest “no” for the opening at hand.
“His goods are greater than his bads”
The problem with this approach is that these are not mutually exclusive. They don’t cancel each other until we’re left with only the good ones.
Here’s an example: While he might drive the numbers to all-time heights, being a toxic colleague will damage the work environment and the organizational culture.
Why you have to choose?
In conclusion
I’ve been conducting and participating in interviews for a good while now. On both sides of the table, as a volunteer, employee and later as an employer.
While I don’t advocate for cold-blooded interviewers that forget they deal with humans in front of them, I firmly believe having good work ethics, professional interviewing techniques and tools, together with solid acceptance criteria can set you and your organization for success in the long run.
P.S.
Here’s a link to a success story that caught my eye some time ago. A bold and challenging take on recruitment from a Chicago-based digital strategy agency.
