Unconscious bias in interviewing: How biases are influencing your hiring decisions

Hiring the right candidate can be one of the most challenging aspects of running a business. While most employers strive to make fair and objective decisions, unconscious bias often sneaks into the interview process, affecting who gets hired and why. Unconscious bias can lead to missed opportunities for diversity, innovation, and hiring the best person for the role.

In this blog, we’ll explore what unconscious bias is, why it’s a problem, share common examples, and provide strategies to stop it from influencing your hiring decisions.

What is unconscious bias?

Unconscious bias refers to the attitudes, stereotypes, or assumptions that we hold about people without realising it. These biases can be based on a person’s race, gender, age, background, or even accent, and often operate below the level of conscious awareness. Everyone has unconscious biases, as they are shaped by our upbringing, experiences, and cultural environment.

In the context of hiring, unconscious bias can cause interviewers to make decisions based on irrelevant factors, rather than focusing on the candidate’s qualifications and ability to perform the job.

Why is unconscious bias a problem in interviewing?

Unconscious bias is problematic in interviewing because it can lead to unfair hiring practices and undermine diversity in the workplace. When candidates are judged based on biases rather than their actual abilities, employers risk missing out on great talent.

Some key reasons unconscious bias is harmful in the hiring process:

• Lack of diversity: Bias can cause employers to favour candidates who are similar to themselves or others in the company, leading to a homogenous workforce. A lack of diversity limits different perspectives, stifling creativity and innovation.
• Missed opportunities: When hiring decisions are based on unconscious bias, you might overlook candidates who have the skills and potential to excel, simply because they don’t fit a certain preconceived image.
• Decreased morale: If employees feel they weren’t hired or promoted based on merit, they may lose trust in the company’s fairness, leading to lower morale and higher turnover.
• Legal risks: Unconscious bias can also expose companies to discrimination lawsuits if candidates believe they were treated unfairly based on characteristics like race, gender, or age.

Examples of unconscious bias in interviewing

Understanding how unconscious bias shows up in the interview process is the first step to addressing it. Here are some common examples:

Affinity bias: This occurs when interviewers favour candidates who share similar traits, backgrounds, or experiences to themselves. For example, you may feel more connected to a candidate who attended the same university as you or grew up in the same city, and as a result, rate them higher despite their qualifications being the same as other candidates.

Gender bias: Gender stereotypes can impact how candidates are perceived. For instance, assuming that men are more suited for leadership roles or that women are less committed to their careers if they have children are examples of how gender bias influences hiring decisions.

Age bias: Younger candidates may be perceived as inexperienced, while older candidates may be seen as less adaptable or technologically proficient, even if those assumptions aren’t true. Age bias can cause you to overlook the actual qualifications and potential of a candidate.

Name bias: Studies have shown that candidates with “ethnic-sounding” names are often less likely to receive interview invitations than those with traditionally Western names. This bias can carry into the interview process as well, where assumptions about a candidate’s background or communication skills may come into play unfairly.

Halo effect: The halo effect happens when one impressive trait, such as attending a prestigious university or working for a well-known company, positively influences your overall impression of a candidate, even if their qualifications in other areas aren’t as strong.

How to address unconscious bias in interviewing

While unconscious bias is, by its nature, difficult to eliminate entirely, there are several strategies employers can implement to reduce its impact and ensure a fairer, more equitable hiring process.

1. Acknowledge and recognise bias: The first step in combating unconscious bias is acknowledging that it exists. Encourage self-awareness and provide bias training for interviewers and hiring managers. Understanding that everyone holds biases allows people to reflect on how these biases may influence their decisions.
2. Standardise the interview process: One of the most effective ways to reduce bias is by using a structured interview process. Create a consistent set of questions for all candidates that directly relate to the skills and competencies required for the role. This ensures that every candidate is evaluated on the same criteria, making it easier to compare their qualifications objectively.
3. Use de-identified resume reviews: To minimise biases based on name, gender, or background, consider using de-identified resume reviews where identifying details are removed. This encourages interviewers to focus solely on the candidate’s skills, experience, and qualifications, without being influenced by irrelevant factors.
4. Involve multiple interviewers: Diversity in the interview panel helps balance out individual biases. When multiple interviewers assess a candidate, the decision is more likely to be objective, as it incorporates different perspectives. Ensure that your interview panel includes people from diverse backgrounds and experiences to reduce the risk of group bias.
5. Ask behaviour-based questions: Focus on behavioural questions that reveal how candidates have handled situations in the past. For example, asking “Tell me about a time you worked through a challenge with a team” gives candidates an opportunity to show their skills and experience in a real-world context, rather than relying on assumptions about their potential.
6. Score candidates using objective criteria: Develop a scoring system that assigns numerical values to each candidate’s responses, based on how well they meet the criteria for the role. This helps remove subjectivity from the interview process and makes it easier to compare candidates fairly.
7. Promote a culture of inclusion: Fostering a company culture that values diversity and inclusion can reduce bias over time. When inclusivity is a core part of your company’s values, it’s easier to recognise and challenge bias when it arises. Encourage open conversations about bias and actively work to build a diverse team that reflects a variety of backgrounds and perspectives.

Striving for fairness in hiring? Rethink Employment with CoAct.

Unconscious bias in interviewing is a challenge that every employer and HR professional must address to create a fairer, more inclusive hiring process. By acknowledging the existence of bias, using structured interviews, and promoting diversity within your organisation, you can improve your hiring decisions and build a more diverse, innovative team.

If you’re looking to improve diversity in your hiring process, speak with CoAct today. Our tailored support can help you recruit the right people and foster a more inclusive workplace.

(Disability Employment Services Australia (DES) has now been replaced by Inclusive Employment Australia (IEA).