Bias in the recruitment process: more common than you think

Are you about to conduct an interview with a candidate? It’s normal to form an opinion quickly, but that opinion should not dictate the entire interview.

Tom Lakin, Global Head Future of Work Advisory at recruitment specialist Robert Walters, explains: “When interviewing a candidate, it’s crucial to be aware of potential biases beforehand. Biases often unconsciously creep into your decision-making and can affect the quality of your choice.”

Here are some common types of bias:

1. Halo Effect

The halo effect occurs when one positive trait of a candidate creates an overly favourable impression, overshadowing other aspects. For example, if a candidate is very charismatic during the interview, this might lead you to assume they will perform well in the role – even without evidence to support this.

2. Confirmation Bias

Confirmation bias arises when we actively seek information that confirms our existing beliefs about a candidate while ignoring contradictory information. For instance, if you think a candidate is unsuitable based on their CV, you may focus only on answers that reinforce your judgement during the interview.

3. Affinity Bias

Affinity bias happens when we feel more drawn to people who are similar to us in terms of background, interests or personality. This can lead hiring managers to favour candidates who share hobbies or attended the same university, even if these factors are irrelevant to the role.

4. Overconfidence Bias

Overconfidence bias occurs when hiring managers place too much trust in their own judgement and overlook important signals or make incorrect assumptions about a candidate. Relying solely on intuition rather than objective data can result in poor decisions.

5. Gender Bias

Gender bias arises when hiring managers unconsciously hold different expectations for men and women. This can lead to stereotypical assumptions, such as believing men are better suited for leadership roles or that women are less ambitious.

6. Anchoring

Anchoring happens when our judgement is influenced by the first piece of information we receive, such as a proposed salary range or a standout feature on a CV. These ‘anchor points’ can distort the evaluation of the candidate overall.

7. Attribution Bias

Attribution bias involves attributing a candidate’s success or failure to their personality or character while ignoring external factors. For example, if a candidate appears nervous during the interview, this might be attributed to incompetence rather than stress caused by the situation itself.

8. Contrast Effect

The contrast effect occurs when candidates are assessed relative to each other rather than against the requirements of the role. For instance, a strong candidate may seem less impressive if interviewed immediately after an exceptionally good candidate.

9. Availability Heuristic

The availability heuristic refers to basing our judgement on information that is easily accessible or recent rather than considering all available data. For example, if a hiring manager primarily remembers what was said during the final part of an interview, this could disproportionately influence their decision-making process.

How can you prevent bias in recruitment?

Reducing bias starts with awareness: recognising that everyone can be influenced by it and understanding how these biases work. Diversity and inclusion training can help hiring managers identify and manage their own biases effectively.

Additionally, structured interviews – where every candidate is asked the same standardised questions and evaluated against pre-determined criteria – can ensure objective assessments and reduce personal preferences from influencing decisions. Using scorecards or other measurable evaluation methods can also help assess candidates based on facts rather than intuition.

Finally, involving multiple people in the selection process ensures diverse perspectives are considered and minimises individual biases. By implementing these steps, you can create a fairer and more inclusive recruitment process.

The guide The Complete Interview Guide for Hiring Managers offers practical tools for conducting job interviews – from preparing questions to avoiding bias.