While you want to hire the best candidates for your company, this is easier said than done. Discerning the best from the rest is a task filled with challenges that must be overcome, including your own biases.
What Are Hiring Biases?
A hiring bias is a preconceived, and often unconscious idea that leads a hiring manager or recruiter to favor a certain candidate over others. Some common examples of hiring biases include:
- Overconfidence bias. Recruiters display excessive confidence in their own insights.
- Similarity attraction bias. A recruiter hires candidates that are like him- or herself.
- Halo effect. The person making the hiring decision focuses too heavily on a specific positive trait of a candidate.
- Affective heuristics. The recruiter jumps to conclusions about a candidate based on the mood they’re in during the interview.
To see what hiring biases look like in practice, let’s take, for example, the halo effect. As touched on above, this happens when a certain part of a candidate’s background looks so impressive that recruiters ignore all other available information and move straight to hiring the prospective employee.
Maybe the candidate in this example has a degree from a prestigious institution. Or maybe they boast experience working for a tech giant. Those are impressive credentials, no doubt. The problems arise when companies are dazzled by the shiny parts of a candidate’s resume and neglect to dig deeper by, for example, running a background check.
How to Reduce Bias in Your Hiring Process
One of the most effective ways to reduce bias in your hiring process is by making data-driven decisions.
To be sure, there will always be some level of human judgment in a hiring decision. The key is to base that decision as much as possible on hard, verifiable facts. This leads to outcomes that are fairer to candidates and more advantageous to your company.
When it comes to data-driven hiring decisions, background screening is your company’s most effective ally.
A thorough background check can turn up significant information that reduces many types of bias by giving you a clearer picture of the candidate’s past. Maybe the person has a DUI (or more) on their record. Or maybe they were outright lying about having worked for Google. All this information can radically change your perspective and should inform your hiring decision.
Looking for Background Screening Services? Plexus Global Is Here to Help
At Plexus Global we ensure global candidate screening through tailored solutions and the most advanced technology that complies with all applicable legislation.
We are located in Riverside, California, and we serve companies all over the U.S. and abroad. Contact us today by telephone (844-516-1008), email (sales@plexusglobalinc.com), or through our social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
