Bias is “BS”

We all have it… Most humans are unaware of their biases; only a few recognize theirs. I recently started thinking about the concept and decided to do a bit of research. I discovered that there are 20 different cognitive biases which affect our decisions every day. No kidding!…

By definition, used as a noun or verb, Bias is: “Prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered unfair or to be biased cause to feel or show inclination or prejudice for or against someone or something.” I am not going to tackle all 20 biases, but will focus on one-Selective Perception, which means:“Allowing your expectations to influence how we perceive the world, a person and idea.”  

As a recruiter, I recently had some unpleasant dealings involving a few of my clients’ selective biases. For example, I’ve been told by a hiring manager “…This candidate will not travel this far for the opportunity because one of my co-workers said it’s a long distance….”, another has told me, “...I want a candidate who is going to stay with the company for 10+ years, and I am not sure this person will…” It makes me want to throw my hands up and scream! Just stop with all this nonsense!! I know that our “human” emotions play a huge part in our reasoning, but is any of this subjectivity really fair to ourcandidates?  

You won’t know until you ask… for the FACTS:
Let’s face it-neither of us knows what a candidate is willing to endure, travel, or for how long they are going to stay with an organization-that is, until WE ASK THEM. And even then it is not certain. Life changes constantly. So unless you have a crystal ball and can predict the future, you should try to be as objective and open as possible.

Job seekers have plenty of options these days. If you are willing to let a viable, qualified candidate walk out the door due to an opinion or assumption, then your company just made a costly mistake. Do yourself a big favor- take any emotions, opinions and past experiences out of the hiring process, and you will be more likely to get the best candidate for the job… No BS about it.

-Diana