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11 ways of selecting the right candidate
1. Read Their Body Language
2. Focus on Specific Experiences & Accomplishments
3. Evaluate Their Work Ethic & Attitude
4. Find out If They’re a Life-Long Learner
5. Get Feedback From People Who Weren’t in the Interview
6. Ask Them About Something They’re Passionate About
7. Give Them a Project or Problem to Solve
8. Pay Attention to the Questions They Ask
9. Understand how the candidate’s aspiration fits with the job
10. Vet them appropriately
11. Don’t hyperfocus on their past
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Common interview biases that recruiters should keep in mind:
Cultural Noise
This bias occurs when the interviewee’s responses are according to what s/he thinks the interviewer would want
to listen to rather than being honest about the responses. Here, it is the test of interviewer’s ability to distinguish
between a candidate’s socially acceptable answer from their true opinion.
Eg. The candidate might agree to work in a team as the interviewer stresses on their role involving teamwork.
Stereotyping Bias
This occurs when the interviewer assumes a candidate has certain traits because they are a member of a
certain group. If job requirements include lifting 50 pounds, an interviewer might inaccurately assume women
cannot meet this requirement.
Recency Bias
Recency Bias occurs when the interviewer recalls the most recently interviewed candidates more clearly than
candidates interviewed earlier because our brains are hardwired to remember details of information presented
to us most recently.
Gender and Racial Bias
The hiring departments and search committees should ensure they don’t fall prey to stereotypes and prejudices
related to gender or race while hiring a candidate. Applicants should be selected purely on the basis of sufficient
job related skills and talents.
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Generalization bias
Generalization bias can occur when interviewers assume candidates’ mannerisms in the
interview are part of their everyday behavior. The interviewer might assume what the
candidate did once is what s/he would always do.
This bias plays on the phrase - the first impression is the last impression. For example,
candidates who are nervous in the interview can be generalized as always being
nervous.
Halo/Horn Bias
This is the most common cognitive interview bias in which an interviewer allows one
strong point about the candidate to overshadow or have an effect on everything else
s/he says. It could be something that pleased him (halo) or something that he didn’t like
(horn) that clouds every other response of the candidate, making the interview subject to
the interviewer’s subjective opinions. This, too, plays on the first impression belief.
Contrast Effect
When a stronger candidate interviews after a relatively weaker candidate, they may
appear more qualified than they actually are as the contrast between the two candidates
makes the former appear exceptionally better than they actually are. This becomes a
problem that should be kept in check by the interviewer while taking interviews one after
the other.
