Today I was on linkedin when I noticed a small article about how it is always better to interview candidates on a meal since while eating, they will show many issues which will be hidden during the traditional interview method, the idea seemed tempting so I continue reading the article to find out that the writer start defining table manners, what to do with the knife, where to put the fork, etc.. and under that article so many comments on how useful this information is or \ and even adding another "useful" tips on table manners, and for me, the only thought came to my head, what if I invited someone to a Jordanian Mansaf, shall I judge them on how they eat using their right hand, did they "crossed" to my eating area, did their finger touch their mouth while eating? (for you who don't know the Jordanian Mansaf, you are missing a lot :).
Basically, as it seems, no one understand that their comments are purely biased, they simply wants to hire people from their social group and who are "similar to them", and usually their judgement is clouded due to this similarity, and in HR this is a common misstep.
Before going in why this is bad, since many will argue that this will build a cohesive culture within the company and insure that all team members have a similar complicity which off course will benefit the team as a whole, I want to show how easy interviewer bias could happen. Interviewer bias could be during any part of the recruitment process, so for example:
1- When shortlisting, you avoid hiring females because last lady you hired refused to work for late hours in one project so you marked all female candidates to be unreliable (this is a very common stereotype in the IT industry)
2- While doing a technical interview, you ask one candidate some easier question that the other (Inconsistent Questions).
3- While implementing a search on your Application Management System you avoid anyone who enter a text with a spelling mistakes regardless of the position or the mistake it self. (First Impression)
4- You hire someone merely because they worked with one major competitor and thus you judge they are qualified or reject hiring one because they do not have a linkedin profile and thus you judge they are not technically qualified. (Halo \ Horn effect)
5- You Hire people who cheers for the same team you like, Enjoys the same kind of food you enjoy, or have a CV similar to the one you had when you were in their age. (Similar to me bias)
No why is this bad? no really, let us not live in a perfect world and admit, we do not always hire the best candidate, and if the candidate we agreed upon can do the tasks of the job, what harm will this have.
I will not explain much why you should not be biased during interviews, but bare in mind whether you were HR personnel or a technical manager and you were doing the interview, your biased choice could really have a direct effect on your company, the company might lose money real actual money in a discriminating suite which will lead to your own termination :). Also you will lose some potential money since hiring someone based on your own ideas and perspective will likely lead to have unqualified people that will do the job, but with a much less efficiency, and if you are a manager, that might also lead to your termination :). Finally, bare in mind that this practice is unethical, and for me this is an enough reason.
Basically, as it seems, no one understand that their comments are purely biased, they simply wants to hire people from their social group and who are "similar to them", and usually their judgement is clouded due to this similarity, and in HR this is a common misstep.
Before going in why this is bad, since many will argue that this will build a cohesive culture within the company and insure that all team members have a similar complicity which off course will benefit the team as a whole, I want to show how easy interviewer bias could happen. Interviewer bias could be during any part of the recruitment process, so for example:
1- When shortlisting, you avoid hiring females because last lady you hired refused to work for late hours in one project so you marked all female candidates to be unreliable (this is a very common stereotype in the IT industry)
2- While doing a technical interview, you ask one candidate some easier question that the other (Inconsistent Questions).
3- While implementing a search on your Application Management System you avoid anyone who enter a text with a spelling mistakes regardless of the position or the mistake it self. (First Impression)
4- You hire someone merely because they worked with one major competitor and thus you judge they are qualified or reject hiring one because they do not have a linkedin profile and thus you judge they are not technically qualified. (Halo \ Horn effect)
5- You Hire people who cheers for the same team you like, Enjoys the same kind of food you enjoy, or have a CV similar to the one you had when you were in their age. (Similar to me bias)
No why is this bad? no really, let us not live in a perfect world and admit, we do not always hire the best candidate, and if the candidate we agreed upon can do the tasks of the job, what harm will this have.
I will not explain much why you should not be biased during interviews, but bare in mind whether you were HR personnel or a technical manager and you were doing the interview, your biased choice could really have a direct effect on your company, the company might lose money real actual money in a discriminating suite which will lead to your own termination :). Also you will lose some potential money since hiring someone based on your own ideas and perspective will likely lead to have unqualified people that will do the job, but with a much less efficiency, and if you are a manager, that might also lead to your termination :). Finally, bare in mind that this practice is unethical, and for me this is an enough reason.
