Unconscious Bias in the Hiring Process

A recruiter’s brain receives a large amount of information. Unconsciously, certain mechanisms are activated to sort, process and analyze them. In the process, certain memory distortions and personal beliefs allow the brain to make shortcuts, retain some informations and discard others. Bias leads individuals to make errors of perception, interpretation or evaluation. 5 COMMON TYPES OF HIRING BIAS

• AFFINITY / SIMILARITY BIAS: The unconscious tendency to get along with people who are like ourselves.
• CONFIRMATION BIAS: The disposition to subconsciously seek evidence to confirm that our first impression of a candidate was right. This also involves disregarding evidence that don’t match our initial judgement.
• HALO EFFECT: To have a great impression of a candidate in one area and let that positive impression reflect on our overall opinion.
• HORN EFFECT: To have a poor impression of a candidate in one area and let that negative impression reflect on our overall opinion.

PSYCHOMETRIC TOOLS PROVIDE DATA TO ELIMINATE UNCONSCIOUS BIASES THAT DISRUPT THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS A candidate’s educational background and work experience can be viewed on paper through his resume where he may appear perfect for the job, but he might not be successful when workplace realities come to play. While hard skills such as technical skills play an important part, it’s ultimately the soft skills (personality traits, approach to work, communication style, etc.) that drive success and help predict how a candidate will fit into his new role.

THE ADVANTAGES OF PSYCHOMETRICS ASSESSMENTS IN RECRUITMENT A consistent, reliable, standardised, cost-efficient and time-efficient way to:

• reduce subjective bias with a standardised method thaT uses automated scoring algorithms
• strenghten face-to-face interviews
• showcase strenghts and weaknesses of candidates
• identify potential progression opportunities for the future
• highlight the skills and abilities of candidates
• recruit the best possible candidates
• increase job satisfaction
• lower staff turnover

OBJECTIVE AND MEASURABLE DATA TO HELP MAKE INFORMED HIRING DECISIONS Psychometric tools help predict how a person will behave in the workplace by providing with data:

• motivational needs
• communication style
• behaviour under pressure
• potential for leadership
• natural talents, strenghts and limitations
• aptitude and ability to process information, pick up new skills and deal with numbers and words

MPO: THE SOLUTION TO ELIMINATE BIAS Are you interested in psychometrics?  Would you like to discover its possibilities? Try the MPO solution by completing the questionnaire today! What is the MPO Solution?

• A reliable and valid instrument
• A survey quick and easy to complete
• Instant results
• A package adapted to your needs
• Results you can interpret on your own after a training course