Interview Bias

You as an interviewer may unconsciously make some assumptions about candidates based on the way they speak, their age, or any of the background information they listed on their resume

The following slides will discuss some of the more common interview biases that even the most experienced interviewers fall into

Average/Central Tendency: When the interviewer has difficulty deciding which candidate is best and instead rates them all about the same

Contrast: When an interviewer compares candidates to each other, or compares all candidates to a single candidate. If one candidate is particularly weak, others may appear more qualified than they really are

First Impression: Can work for or against a candidate depending on the interviewer’s first impression

Cultural Noise: When candidates answer questions based on information they think will get them the job. EX: Someone who has been an individual contributor telling an interviewer they prefer working as part of a team

Halo Effect: When the interviewer evaluates a candidate positively based on a single characteristic.EX: A candidate’s self-confident attitude may overshadow a lack of experience in a particular requirement

Harshness Effect: When the interviewer evaluates a candidate negatively based on a single characteristic

Knowledge of Predictor: Bias that occurs when the interviewer is aware that a candidate scored particularly high or low on an assessment test

Leniency: When an interviewer tends to go easy on a candidate, giving a higher rating than is warranted

Nonverbal Bias: When an interviewer is influenced by body language

Recency: When the interviewer recalls the most recently interviewed candidate more clearly than earlier candidates

Similar to me: Occurs when the candidate has interests/characteristics that are the same as those of the interviewer and cause the interviewer to overlook negative aspects

Stereotyping: When the interviewer assumes the candidate has specific traits because they are a member of a particular group