5 Ways to eliminate being biased when hiring candidates
We all are naturally biased, because the human brain can be influenced by various things. Even if they want to be fair, People subconsciously tend to be biased when they see things they like or love to see in a person. This is not an ideal way for an interview to look at the candidates walking in. Being biased based on looks, first impression and gender could cost the organisation at large if it ends up in a bad hiring decision. This is mainly because the interviewer may overshadow the candidates’ negatives by being biased. Below are some of the ways you could avoid racism, ageism and sexism and reduce the bias hiring processes.
Review the resume blind
You should look in to the required qualifications, talents and skills and without focusing on the demographics of the applicant. This includes name and the gender of the applicant. This is the first steps towards attracting the best talent available in the market and short listing the best fit for the role. There are many HRIS software which can help you review resume’s blindly.
Phone screening
A simple screening through a phone call can help you in getting the best out of the talent pool for the interview. Here the interviewer will not see the candidate in person and will only be focusing on the candidates ability or the potential to perform a particular job.
Standardize process
Most of the interview process in organisations are not structured in a way to derive the exact experience and expertise of a person. Having a standard set of questions and what is the outcome expected out of that particular question will help in getting better results than an unstructured interview process.
All candidates will face a similar set of questions and will be able to test everyone on specific areas that really matter to perform the job than deviating from the core.
Take notes
You obviously have to take notes on how the candidate respond to your questions. This will help you avoid making decision based only on your gut feeling. The last thing the candidate may say could really impress you and overshadow the important aspects tested in the interview. This is mainly because we cannot count on our memory all the time since an interview will not have only one candidate walking on for an interview.
Test/assignment on work
An assignment or a test should be given to the candidates to determine the capabilities, skills, and expertise which will be used by the candidates on work in the future when he/she takes up the particular job. This has to in line with the job role and directly testing the required skills, work ethics and thinking of the candidate whist testing the attitude and IQ levels of the candidate.
