Disrupting Interview Bias: A Quick Hack You Can Apply Right Now!

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If you’ve been following us for some time, we put a lot of emphasis on using inclusive and effective language and how it benefits everyone. This week, we’re diving into a quick hack to disrupt interview bias that you can use right here, right now.

Using inclusive language or disrupting bias in your interviews doesn’t mean carrying a guide in your pocket at all times. Sometimes, a word does the trick! We believe by changing just one word in a sentence, you can trigger a shift in perspective that helps unpack bias during an interview. This is going to be interesting, so grab a cup of coffee (or tea, if that’s your thing!). 

If you’re not in the mood for reading today, that’s okay. Team JTC has also created a video on this very topic. You can watch it on the #IncreaseDiversity YouTube channel, which, by the way, is packed with tons of nuggets like this for you. Here’s the link to the video.

Let’s get started!

Those Gut Feelings!

We’ve all had moments where we meet someone and just don’t feel a connection. Maybe you’ve even said, “They’re just not my cup of tea,” or “I’m not a fan of their vibe.” Perhaps you’ve just bluntly said, “I don’t like them.” It’s likely that you’ll continue to meet people you don’t particularly like throughout your life, whether it’s a colleague or even a relative. 

But did you know that this is a bias? 

It’s Called Interview Bias

Bias is a prejudice in favor of or against one person or group compared with another. When we say, “I don’t like you,” what we’re really saying is, “I don’t like you as much as I like someone who makes different choices.”

As a recruiter or hiring manager, it’s crucial to be aware of what triggers your bias during the interview and hiring process. Interviewer bias can occur when an interviewer evaluates a candidate’s qualifications based on non-job-related factors like body language, stereotyping, or first impressions.

This not only risks your company losing out on someone who could excel in the role, but it also leads to poor hiring decisions if you’re only selecting people you prefer.

Flip the Script

Remember that quick hack I mentioned? Let’s look at the phrase again: “I don’t like that person.” Now, replace the word “like” with “understand,” and say this instead: “I don’t understand that person.” See what changes.

Notice how the meaning shifts? When you think about it, understanding often bridges the gap between dislike and empathy. If you don’t like me, it’s likely because you don’t understand me. More specifically, you don’t understand why I’ve made certain decisions, especially if they differ from what you would have chosen. Maybe you don’t understand why I wear pink lipstick, why I’ve chosen to lock my hair, or even why I’m making an article about bias.

Perhaps you don’t understand why I would start a business centered on increasing diversity without harm. But by saying, “I don’t understand you,” we have a starting point. Remember the difference: Saying, “I don’t like you,” closes you off, and saying, “I don’t understand you,” opens up an opportunity to get to know someone better, to understand why they make the decisions they do—and why it triggers you.

As an interviewer, when you make hiring decisions based on your gut instinct or intuition, there’s a big chance that bias is baked deeply into those gut feelings. This bias is often tied to whether you like or dislike a person, or whether you prefer one candidate over another.

So ask yourself: does it matter whether I like the person I’m hiring? By saying, “I don’t understand this person,” or “I don’t understand why this person came unprepared to the interview,” you create space to check yourself and disrupt a potential bias.

Wrapping Up

Let’s admit: Chances are, you do not enjoy interacting with the people you do not like, and so you do not put as much effort in it. However, when this shows up in hiring, it creates interviewer bias. Letting interviewer biases or fallacies go unchecked is never beneficial.

Great candidates go unnoticed, opportunities to promote diversity and inclusion get compromised, and business results suffer. So, if you’re an interviewer who wants to minimize the effects of biases in your interviews and hiring decisions, being able to check yourself and identify what triggers your biases in your intuition will allow you to remove bias from the interview process.

As you can see, when we tweak just a word, we shift our mindset. And when we shift it from, for example, like to understand, we open doors to deeper connections and better hiring decisions, ultimately creating a more inclusive and thriving workplace. It’s a tiny tweak with a big impact. So, next time you’re in an interview, remember that understanding is the key to unlocking potential, and the lack of it is a cause for missed milestones and opportunities.

Now, this is just one interrupt interview bias. Join me in the comment section, and share what tactics you use to disrupt bias in your interview and recruitment process. How do you check yourself?