As an employer it is your legal responsibility to ensure you
are not discriminating during the recruitment process and that your decision to
hire someone is based solely on their ability to do the job, how they will
contribute to the organisation and their potential for development. You should
ensure that you are treating applicants fairly at all stages of the recruitment
process. It is important that you make the process clear to applicants and that
adjustments can be made to accommodate disabilities.
For shortlisting candidates you could consider using
Artificial Intelligence technology, which can avoid the unconscious bias that
humans can experience. You should ensure that any technology you employ has
been tested thoroughly and provides a good experience for candidates.
Interviewing candidates is an area which is particularly
prone to bias, some of the issues to look out for are:
- Asking candidates questions which are designed
to confirm initial impressions gained before interview
- Thinking stereotypes are true, such as assumed
characteristics about sex, race, disability, marital status or criminal record.
- Applying the ‘Horns and Halos’ effect, just
because a candidate rates badly in one area this judgement should not be
replicated across all areas of the assessment.
- Comparing candidates to earlier applicants
throughout the interview process
- Preferring candidates who are ‘similar to me’ in
areas such as background, career history or attitudes
- Making decisions based on whether you ‘like’ the
candidate
I would advise committing to a set of interview questions
which are directly related to the performance of the role and that you use
consistently for every applicant. However, you also need to ensure that the
interview feels natural and balanced and that the applicant has the opportunity
to ask questions.
Filled Under: Recruiting Posted on: 15th April 2021