Sometimes an ideal candidate can be lost through interviewer bias. This is when an interviewer unconsciously judges a candidate on unspoken criteria which can appear in various forms, from stereotyping to inconsistency in questioning, to similar-to-me bias.

Last week, we identified the types of interviewer bias that exist. Today, we’ve put together a bit of advice to help avoid it!

Let’s jump right in:

Ask standardised questions

Ensure you have a series of set questions to ask your candidates. Consistency in your questioning can help to eradicate unconscious bias and to give all candidates an equal opportunity. It’s essential to build up a complete picture of each candidate by asking similar questions.

Write notes while you interview

Rather than recording your thoughts after the interview, record them as you go along, ideally in a standardised template to provide structure.

Have clear criteria by which to measure candidates

Prior to conducting the interviews, identify which essential skills you are looking for and judge your candidates based on these. The job description is your key starting point for this.

Use anonymous testing

Set every candidate the same short assignment and judge the end product, without seeing the names of the candidates. This is an easy way to avoid many forms of bias.

Allow multiple people to interview candidates

Having more than one person interview a candidate introduces different perspectives, which reduces individual bias.

Keep small talk to a minimum

Though it’s important to ease a candidate in with some opening questions, it’s equally important that minimal time is spent on this, as such questions can easily exacerbate interviewer bias. For example, asking where a candidate is from can lead to stereotyping bias or similar-to-me bias.

Stay away from politics

Unless this is relevant to your business, avoid discussing political and controversial issues. Focus on the job requirements and on deep diving into the candidate’s skills.

Don’t rely on your gut alone

Interviewing is perhaps one of the few areas in life where you should not be guided by only your gut, as it is often just your own biases talking to you. Judge your candidates on the competency-based selection criteria you have created, rather than just who you click with.

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