Beware of Bias in Hiring: Three Common Traps to Avoid
Hiring managers think they're making fair and objective decisions, but research shows that bias, focusing on weak talent signals, and poor use of assessments can hinder this process. This can lead to overlooking top talent and inadvertent discrimination.
In an interview with Josh Millet, the CEO of Criteria—a company that helps organizations make more objective, evidence-based hiring decisions—he emphasized the importance of long-term, research-backed predictors of success in the workplace. He advocated for a skills-based hiring approach, which broadens the talent pipeline.
The First Pitfall: Interviewing Bias
Interviews are ripe with subjective factors that lead to biases. Millet points out that employers often make judgments based on factors irrelevant to performance, such as the candidate's physical appearance, handshake firmness, or height. To combat this, use a standardized set of questions for every candidate, evaluate based on pre-determined criteria, avoid leading questions, employ a scoring system, and ensure a diverse interview panel.
To prevent groupthink, have interviewers assess candidates independently before sharing their scores as a group. This process, known as calibration, helps make decisions based on objective criteria, providing fair feedback to candidates who didn't meet the criteria. This process increases their chances of applying for future jobs better aligned with the criteria and improves your reputation in the job market.
The Second Pitfall: Weak Talent Signals
Organizations often use artificial intelligence (AI) to filter through applicants, but the criteria are often based on weak talent signals, such as educational pedigree, length of service, or industry experience. These factors have a low correlation to future performance. Instead, focus on strong talent signals, like leadership ability, communication skills, problem-solving skills, or project management expertise.
The Third Pitfall: Poor Use of Assessments
Assessments help measure potential and ability objectively. Millet recommends using them to measure growth potential, problem-solving ability, the ability to digest and apply new information, and synthesize it. Consider giving candidates a project similar to what they would do in their first 90 days of employment for a trial run. This can provide valuable insights into their ability to meet job expectations objectively and fairly.
Hiring managers face challenges in making objective and fair hiring decisions. To ensure fairness, use structured interviews, focus on strong talent signals, and utilize assessments effectively.
- In the interview with Josh Millet, he suggested that to combat interview bias, employers should use a standardized set of questions for each candidate, evaluate based on pre-determined criteria, and employ a scoring system, while ensuring a diverse interview panel.
- To prevent groupthink during the interview process, Millet advised that interviewers should assess candidates independently before sharing their scores as a group, a process known as calibration, which helps make decisions based on objective criteria and provides fair feedback to candidates.
- When using assessments to measure potential and ability objectively, Millet recommended focusing on strong talent signals like leadership ability, communication skills, problem-solving skills, or project management expertise. He also suggested giving candidates a trial project similar to their first 90 days of employment to evaluate their ability to meet job expectations objectively and fairly.