Do You Have a Hiring Bias?  

Avoiding Behavioral Bias in Hiring

Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact.  Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth​.  Marcus Aurelius

​Your personal perspective, based on your own history and experience, can influence your view of the world. And some- times these views can affect the decisions you make, including hiring decisions. Although we all try our best to be objective and unbiased, chances are, we unconsciously choose to hire people just like us. And this can impact your organization.

Understanding People’s Behavior
Understanding as much as you can about how people think, act and relate to others, can help you to overcome possible hiring biases. In 1928, a renowned psychologist, Dr. William Moulton Marston, developed something called the DISC Personality Profile, a method that has been used for decades to identify an individual’s behavior, personality and temperament. Marston identified four individual behavioral styles:
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1. Dominance (D) – Dominants are direct, outspoken, decisive and results-oriented. They are risk-takers, leaders, and problem-solvers, who want to know the facts and the bottom-line. They like change, and want to be in charge. They are task- and goal-oriented, as well as fast-paced when talking, moving and making decisions.
2. Influence (I) – Influencers are friendly, outgoing and talkative. They are persuasive, optimistic, creative, and full of energy. Influencers like change, variety, and flexibility. They are people-oriented and fast-paced.
3. Steady (S) – Steady individuals are team players: amiable, deliberate, good listeners. They are stable, consistent, patient peacemakers who prefer to maintain the status quo. They dislike conflict, and avoid risks and change. They are also people-oriented, but are slower to speak or respond.
4. Conscientious (C) – In this context, conscientious people are accurate, logical, organized and data-driven. They are methodical, detail-oriented, cautious, and seek perfection. They like structure, standards and order, and prefer to avoid conflict. A conscientious person is task-oriented and slower- paced, and prefers to be right.
   
   

Do any of these behavioral styles sound familiar? Everyone possesses traits from all four groups, and no single style is considered better than any other. But most people tend to favor individuals who exhibit behavioral styles that are similar to their own. It’s when you encounter a style that is opposite to yours that conflict and tension can arise.

How Style Impacts Hiring
While it might seem ideal to surround yourself with people who share your world view, in fact you could end up with a one-dimensional perspective of a three-dimensional situation. A more diverse team, with a broader frame of reference, can diagnose problems, and pinpoint missing pieces that might be overlooked otherwise.

Embracing Differences
A manager’s goal should be to create a team that blends compatible styles with diverse strengths. When preparing to hire someone new, try the following:

1. Create a list of the key qualities you require for a position. Start by observing your top performers who currently work in such a position. Remember, different jobs have different requirements, so be specific, and focus on the big picture.
2. Develop interview questions related to the preferred job qualities, and ask each candidate the same questions.
3. Have peers, supervisors, even subordinates, interview candidates so you will get a more unbiased picture of each person. Make sure all the interviewers understand EEO laws on pre-employment questions.

Embracing different behaviors and styles in an unbiased way will help you to develop a stronger, more productive team: one that will be enriched by the experience.
©Kim Hofmann, RDN, LD.

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