Unconscious Bias in Hiring: 🔝 Strategies for a Fair Recruitment

Reducing bias in the hiring process is essential for a diverse, inclusive, and fair workplace where all candidates are evaluated based on their real skills and potential.

What are the Examples of Unconscious Bias in Recruitment?

In a recent study conducted by hiring software Tribepad, a whopping 9 in 10 people (89%) said they feel they are at risk of prejudice when applying for a new position. Respondents are especially concerned about their age but also appearance, disability, weight, gender identity, and several other demographic factors:

a chart showing the results of survey about workplace prejudices due to various demographic factors

Source: mckinsey.com

And McKinsey stated in 2024 that it will take us 50 years to achieve full gender parity:

a chart displaying the results of research on gender parity

Clearly, even though a lot has been done to eliminate bias from hiring decisions, there is still some prejudice among hiring managers, even if it’s more subtle or even unconscious. This is especially true for black women. The same study confirms that they are frequently overlooked when the company is hiring for managerial positions:

a chart displaying the results of research on hiring bias due to skin color and gender, which is the most common unconscious bias in hiring

As you can see, hiring bias is a real thing that needs to be addressed as quickly as possible. Read on as we share some best practices and advice to help you make your hiring and interview processes more impartial.

What are the Types Of Bias In Hiring Decisions?

Bias in hiring processes can lead to unfair decision-making (based on the candidate’s appearance or background and not competencies) and a lack of diversity in the workplace. There are five most common types of unconscious hiring bias:

Type of hiring bias	Description
Affinity bias/similarity bias	Favoring candidates who share similar backgrounds, interests, or experiences. Example: A hiring manager might feel an instant connection with a candidate who went to the same university or shares a similar hobby.
Confirmation bias	Seeking information that confirms pre-existing beliefs about a candidate. Example: If a recruiter believes that graduates from a specific school are more competent, they may unconsciously seek out information that supports this belief.
Horns effect	Allowing one negative trait (e.g., a weak handshake) to influence the entire evaluation of the given candidate. Example: If a candidate “incorrectly” answers one interview question, the interviewer may judge them as generally incompetent.
Halo effect	Letting one positive trait (e.g., a prestigious degree) overshadow other aspects of the candidate’s offer. Example: If a candidate worked at a well-known company, a recruiter may assume they are highly skilled.
Status quo bias	Preferring candidates who fit into current team rather than those who bring fresh perspectives. Example: If a team is made up of young white people, hiring managers can unconsciously look for simiar candidates.
Anchoring bias	Relying too heavily on an initial piece of information (the “anchor”) when evaluating a candidate. Example: A recruiter sees that a candidate’s previous position was low and assumes they are not highly skilled.

a chart explaining different biases in the hiring process and reflecting on unconscious bias in hiring

Of course, there are other factors that can affect the hiring process. Under unfavorable circumstances, recruiters may tend to disqualify diverse candidates and focus on their “proven” talent pool. There are several factors at play here:

Time pressure: Rushed decisions oftentimes lead to reliance on the recruiter’s hunch rather than objective criteria.
Fatigue: Tired interviewers may make more instinctive and biased hiring decisions.
Lack of structured interviews: If your company doesn’t have a structured hiring and interviewing policy, analyzing diversity metrics may be at the very end of your list of priorities. This is especially common in small companies.
Recruiter’s mood: Lastly, even the recruiter’s emotions can influence how they perceive a candidate, thus leading to hiring bias.

Understanding these factors is your first step to eliminating them from your company. Make sure your company has proper policies and your recruiters are well-prepared for their role. This way, you will be able to reduce unconscious bias and look at a more diverse range of job seekers.

Unconscious Bias in Hiring Influences the Applicant Pool Before Any Interviews Take Place

Many people don’t know this, but the truth is that reducing bias in the hiring process starts with job descriptions. For instance, “masculine key words” (such as “dominant,” “aggressive,” “rockstar”) tend to attract more male applicants and discourage women. And terms such as “digital native” or “recent graduate” will likely discourage older or more experienced candidates.

So, if you want to find diverse candidates, you need to analyze your job offers and look for potential reasons why different candidates don’t apply to your company.

Then, there is the cultural factor. Adding phrases such as “culture fit” to your job descriptions will likely discourage qualified candidates from different cultures.

Where In The Hiring Process Are Biases Most Likely to Show Up?

There are four main stages where your diversity recruitment strategy can be adversely affected by your recruiters’ personal biases:

Job descriptions	The language and terms you use in your job offers may discourage diverse teams from applying.
Resume screening	Unconscious bias can make recruiters favor certain backgrounds (or other elements visible in the resume) while dismissing equally qualified candidates who don’t fit in the same picture.
Interview process	If an interviewer has a positive or negative impression of the resume, they may subconsciously seek evidence that confirms that view. This is especially visible during job interviews.
Post-interview	Your hiring managers may unintentionally reinforce each other’s biases when discussing diverse candidates.

Be Aware Of The Consequences Of Unconscious Bias in Hiring

In short, unconscious hiring bias leads to hiring candidates that fit specific demographics or backgrounds. As a result, your company may struggle with:

The lack of fresh perspective: A team made of people from the same background or the same school may lack creativity.
Lower morale: Candidates and employees who see that your company favors specific types of candidates may be less motivated to exert themselves at work.
Poor team dynamics: Your employees may struggle to collaborate effectively in an environment that lacks diverse viewpoints.
Higher turnover rates: Underrepresented employees may feel undervalued and leave your company to look for better opportunities elsewhere.
Limited ability to attract top talent pool: In their recent report, Deloitte states: “To attract Gen Z, employers must be ready to adopt a speed of evolution that matches the external environment. That means developing robust training and leadership programs, with a real and tangible focus on diversity.”

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Hiring Diverse Candidates: Identify Potential Biases And Eliminate Them

If you want to create a fairer hiring process, you need to take specific steps to minimize unconscious bias in your recruitment process. These best practices will help you create a more diverse workforce:

Self-assessment tools: Use the Implicit Association Test (IAT) to help your HR team uncover unconscious preferences related to race, gender, age, sexual orientation, and other factors. You can also consider conducting anonymous bias audits.
Standardize hiring practices: Your company should have a written policy on all recruitment processes andstructured interviews so that there’s no room for bias in hiring decisions.
Diversify hiring teams: A mix of backgrounds in HR teams will also help eliminate individual biases and lead to hiring decisions based on the candidates’ qualifications, and not their background.
Focus on data-driven decisions: Implementing a data-driven strategy will help you reduce bias and work toward workforce diversity.
Build an inclusive culture: Hiring is just one of the elements to consider. Strive to build an inclusive workplace where no one is overlooked or neglected because of their background. Concentrate first on your employees’ qualifications when it comes to promotions and responsibilities.

Use Structured Hiring Protocols

Your company should incorporate standardized evaluation methods that concentrate on the candidates:

Skills and education
Work experience
Potential

Rather than irrelevant factors such as sexual orientation or background. You can do so in three major ways:

Standardized questioning: Each candidate should get the same set of questions that are focused on their skills and experience.
Transparent scoring criteria: Your company should have clear, predefined scoring criteria that lead to fair outcomes (e.g., years of experience, knowledge of the industry, etc.)
Anonymized screening: You can use candidate screening software that removes names, photos, addresses, and other identifying details. This way you can find diverse candidates with no gender bias, anchoring bias, or similarity bias.

In order to streamline this part of the hiring process, you should use tools that help you mitigate bias, including:

AI-driven screening platforms (e.g., Eightfold, Skillate, Manatal)
Blind recruitment software (e.g., Toggl Hire, Applied, Pinpoint)
Structured interview tools (e.g., HireVue, SkillsDB, Workable)

However, you need to keep in mind that AI can reduce bias only when trained on diverse, well-organized data. If AI models that you will use learn from past hiring decisions that favored certain demographics, they will likely replicate existing biases.

Focus On The Role Of Leadership And Company Values in Reducing Bias in Hiring Process

Your hiring practices reflect your company culture. Here, the management role in dealing with unconscious bias is immensely important. Without leadership support in your company, bias-reduction efforts will likely fail due to lack of enforcement or even funding.

To get managers onboard with bias mitigation, you must showcase the alignment of this initiative with organizational goals. Show how diverse workforce contributes to better business results, more creativity and innovation, and even employee retention.

The employer branding (EB) aspect is also important. Focus on the fact that diverse teams attract high-quality candidates and help you build a positive image of your business on the job market.

But to make all this work, you need this approach to be genuine and visible in different areas of your company’s operations. Your actions and your image have to be aligned. Otherwise, you will quickly be labeled as a hypocritical organization.

Focus On The Right Metrics To Avoid Biases in Hiring

Eliminating unconscious bias is an ongoing process. To measure your efforts, you should track four crucial metrics:

Diversity in new hires: Monitor the demographic characteristics (e.g., race, gender, age) of new employees to see whether your workforce diversity is increasing.
Retention rates: Track whether underrepresented groups in your company are staying with the organization longer. If they do, it can indicate an inclusive culture, which is crucial to having a diverse workforce.
Promotions: Check if all employees, including those from underrepresented groups, have equal opportunities for promotions and career growth.
Hiring pipeline diversity: Lastly, you can assess the diversity levels at different stages of the hiring process (applications, interviews, new hires) to pinpoint if (and when) underrepresented communities are potentially excluded from the hiring process.

Here, a good employee monitoring system comes in handy, because it enables you to track the quality of work of all employees in a standardized and transparent way, regardless of their background, ethnicity, or any other bias-prone factors.

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Legal And Ethical Considerations of Discrimination in Hiring

Your bias reduction efforts must be in line with anti-discrimination laws that apply in your country or region. For instance, in the USA, they are regulated by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and in the European Union, by several directives that the European Commission regulates:

Directive 2000/43/EC against discrimination on grounds of race and ethnic origin.
Directive 2000/78/EC against discrimination at work on grounds of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation.
Directive 2006/54/EC equal treatment for men and women in matters of employment and occupation.
Directive 2004/113/EC equal treatment for men and women in the access to and supply of goods and services.

Generally speaking, those laws prohibit discrimination based on race, gender, age, disability, and other characteristics. Your company’s hiring process has to be in line with those laws and regulations. In case of any doubts, it’s best to consult your legal team.

Don’t Rely Too Heavily On AI in the Recruitment Process

Earlier in the post, we mentioned that automated tools may be faulty, depending on the quality of data you feed them. To avoid potential issues, such as unconscious bias or disqualification of some of the diverse candidates, you should ensure that the AI hiring tools you use are regularly audited, transparent, and designed to prioritize fairness. Additionally, you should never exclude human judgment from the decision-making process.

Wrapping Up: Build a Fairer Future in Hiring and Better Workplace Diersity

If you want to eliminate unconscious bias from your HR processes, you should take some specific actions. The most important steps include:

Focusing on increasing transparency and accountability in your recruitment processes (written and publicly available policies are a good idea).
Introducing transparent and structured interviews and standardized evaluation criteria to minimize confirmation bias or gender bias.
Investing in continuous training on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) for hiring managers, ensuring that unconscious bias is consistently addressed in all recruitment efforts.
Lastly, your organization should do whatever possible to ensure that all employees, regardless of their background, have equal access to promotions and growth opportunities.

And if you’re looking for a tool that will help you track employee productivity and engagement in 100% fair and transparent way, try TimeCamp. Our platform is bias-free as it consists only of the measurable metrics, such as time spent at work or activties throughout the day.

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Sources:

https://tribepad.com/whitepaper/stop-the-bias-report-2024/

https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/women-in-the-workplace

https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/consumer-business/articles/understanding-generation-z-in-the-workplace.html

https://zapier.com/blog/ai-recruiting-tools/

https://commission.europa.eu/aid-development-cooperation-fundamental-rights/your-fundamental-rights-eu/know-your-rights/equality/non-discrimination_en

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Maksymilian Kujawa Seasoned marketer with 5+ years of experience working with SaaS products, B2B audiences, and market research. Passionate about data-driven strategies, storytelling, and bridging the gap between product and market needs. Always on the lookout for automation opportunities, recently deeply interested in the possibilities offered by AI. When not crafting marketing strategies, he enjoys exploring the worlds of business psychology, history, and sports.

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Unconscious Bias in Hiring: Strategies for a Fairer Recruitment Process