What are some common interview biases and how do you avoid them?

It is typically for interviewers to disregard or reject candidates without hesitation when they study their resumes and find that they are written in Vietnamese, rather than English, and that there is no mention of English proficiency in the CV. Some interviewers have a predisposition to reject candidates who have not graduated from a well-known university. He asked the candidate : " Where is this University? What kind of thesis did you complete for your graduation from this school? Do you believe that other students from a national or reputable university in a large city could outperform your thesis? " Failure to discuss the interview question structure with the hiring manager can result in unpredictable situations.

Halo effect in interviewing when one good first impression outsizes the full picture. I overcome this by having separated access each competency independently. I aske situational questions to reveal specific abilities, not assume them and rating candidate right after they leave while memories are still fresh.

The “halo effect” is when a candidate dresses well, is well spoken, and captivating. The “halo effect” is that moment when you start assuming automatically that they are a great candidate for the role, forgetting about the relevant experience, skills and referrals.

It appears that the Halo effect can be easily achieved. Examples of this include having a CVs with high GPA, obtaining a High Band IELTS qualification, having IT skills such as Data analytics, SQL, and Power BI, and engaging in a variety of social activities. This would be enough to impress the manager and they would prefer to select these individuals for interview instead of others. Selecting the right candidate is not simply a matter of selecting the most intelligent resumes.

In my experience, this bias happens when candidate gain favorable notice by having the same points with you like being compatriot, from the same university, have some common sense like each other... Do: - Transparent and fair is the most important things to be settled here. - Focus on competency like specific job requirement, experiences - Consider more on behavior question about past experiences and how they solved that issues.

The “similarity bias” is that situation when you kick off the conversation and you find many common points with your candidate. For example, you realise that you come from the same region or you studied in a similar area. This behaviour can be seen as friendly and will lead you inevitably to the “similarity bias”. It’s important to remember to leave personal preferences and opinions out of the conversation.

The “contrast effect” is one of the most challenging points to overcome. Why? Simple because as humans we tend to compare to each other. Inevitably we may fall into the same mistake while interviewing. It is important to review each candidate individually. Focusing on the experience and the skills in an objective manner, avoiding comparisons.

I have met this case in the past, when hiring manager tell me married women couldn't afford to work long time because she would have to get married and look after her baby. They assumed that a woman wouldn't be as ambitious as a man when it came to a job like a Sales representative or Business Development, which can be really demanding. The manager might hesitate to interview female candidate or or set a low bar for her because they think she won't be as aggressive as a man. From my personal standpoint, it is essential to define the criteria and assessment scales for evaluating candidates, and to raise awareness of this stereotyped bias for hiring managers prior to the interview.

The “stereotype bias” is the assumption of a set of characteristics of a person based on demographic characteristics. How to avoid this situation? → Aim to have a varied range of talent. → Improve the accountability and skills of the leadership. → Be transparent and fair, promoting equality of opportunity. → Encourage transparency and address bias, discrimination, and microaggressions. → Promote a sense of belonging by firmly supporting all forms of diversity!

The “anchoring bias” is quite unfortunate. Since it is linked to the first impression you receive from a candidate. It is true that first impressions are valuable during an interviewing process. However, it is important to remember that is the whole picture what matters the most. Flexibility + adaptability are traits of great recruiters.