Recruitment Interviews: Let's Get Rid of Biases
9 February 2015
Read by 3571 persons
A mature relationship between two people
A definition of a recruitment interview could be: an oral communication situation between two or more individuals with the professional objective, for the recruiter, of deciding to hire the candidate, and for the candidate, of accepting or refusing the offered position. That's all there is to it. Two worlds meet, and under the pretext of wanting to objectify this moment, forgetting that it involves two human beings, necessarily subjective, would be a professional mistake. Let us assume, however, that these two people are adults and will therefore act like adults (still an uncertainty on both sides). Because the recruiter brings with them, during the interview, their experience, expectations, client expectations, successes as well as disappointments, and the candidate brings their understanding of the position, previous successes and failures, or even inexperience in interviews. My daughter would say: "it's not looking good". She's not entirely wrong.
Biases and recruiters
The recruiter, even if they don't like to admit it, is a hunter. Be careful, you are not the prey, no, they want YOUR skills, to develop them in THEIR company. They have therefore gradually defined a typical profile of the ideal candidate. And deviating from that (for you, the candidate) is dangerous, especially if you are trying to stand out through your differences, rather than by integrating your strengths. Some of you, managers in particular, are both candidates and recruiters. And see how difficult it is for you to go beyond your biases as soon as you put on the hat of "the one who decides"! Even in our workshops dedicated to interviews, during simulations, many of you tell us that as soon as you "are the recruiter", you lose some of your listening skills. You don't have a position to fill, and yet you oppose the person in front of you with questions that would seem completely inappropriate to you as a candidate ("so, with your two children, in case of an emergency, how do you manage?" (Because I also have two, and it seems impossible to me to combine a fulfilling family life and on-call duties)). So the recruiter IS biased. They are full of implications, a partial vision, ill will, and… hey! And here, am I not showing a lot of bias by deciding to say ALL recruiters are the same? Well then, I must tell you, objectively, that the vast majority of recruiters are true professionals; they work with tools that allow them to perform a real analysis and comparison between the candidates received. They have one position and 60 candidates; making choices will necessarily make one of them happy and 59 others unhappy…
Biases and candidates
The candidate, a consecrated term (I don't like this word, for me you are a professional, not a candidate for a baccalaureate…) also arrives with their experiences, a representation of the company, the position, the consulting firm, or even the recruiter they may have met before… And the more they progress in interviews, the more the subjective part can grow. Who hasn't experienced that difficult moment when the crepe of motivation falls flat… next to you. On paper, the position appealed to you. But in front of the company's premises, after 45 minutes in traffic, your enthusiasm has dropped significantly. Except in an emergency, from now on, everything the recruiter says or asks could be held against them. (Anyway, the welcome was terrible, the premises were lost, the HR person was out of date...), because if you haven't clearly explored your motivations and choice limits, it will always be easier for you to hide behind the other person, their responsibility. Be careful, the right to say NO exists, and it is even essential. But are you sure you will keep your objectivity during the interview? Knowing how to be professional in these moments of exchange is a real asset, because prejudices intertwine and from a win-win situation initially, everyone can quickly lose out, in time, professionalism and simply in employment. Your advantage? Often, very often even, you have taken the time to question your subjectivity, whether during a counseling session with a Consultant or alone by defining your objectives. Know how to hold on to these key elements during exchanges. Don't let your instincts lead the exchange.
Biases to eliminate urgently by everyone
So many biases that can be silently formulated by one or the other of the actors in the interview… (and yes, candidate and recruiter, look again at the sentences, yes, yes, you have used one or the other at least once…) in a few seconds, the damage is done, but not said, and your exchange starts badly. Very badly.
So should we stop there?
One approach: be truly in the present moment. Consider THIS interview as a unique moment, unrelated to those you have had previously, and do not "classify" your interlocutor too quickly. A clumsiness does not make someone clumsy, a hasty tone does not make someone aggressive, a slight tic does not make someone inadequate. And this applies to both sides. If being present in the present moment worries you, know that it can be worked on; many executives and managers are able to overcome a subjective posture by using methods of positive psychology and mindfulness. And it's a daily work; even the best of us remain subjective, "hopefully"* human!
*If "desperately" exists, its antonym is not in the dictionary, unfortunately! If you find one, don't hesitate, I will reuse it with real pleasure.
Laurence Charneau.
http://blog-experts.cadres.apec.fr
Posted on February 9, 2015.
A definition of a recruitment interview could be: an oral communication situation between two or more individuals with the professional objective, for the recruiter, of deciding to hire the candidate, and for the candidate, of accepting or refusing the offered position. That's all there is to it. Two worlds meet, and under the pretext of wanting to objectify this moment, forgetting that it involves two human beings, necessarily subjective, would be a professional mistake. Let us assume, however, that these two people are adults and will therefore act like adults (still an uncertainty on both sides). Because the recruiter brings with them, during the interview, their experience, expectations, client expectations, successes as well as disappointments, and the candidate brings their understanding of the position, previous successes and failures, or even inexperience in interviews. My daughter would say: "it's not looking good". She's not entirely wrong.
Biases and recruiters
The recruiter, even if they don't like to admit it, is a hunter. Be careful, you are not the prey, no, they want YOUR skills, to develop them in THEIR company. They have therefore gradually defined a typical profile of the ideal candidate. And deviating from that (for you, the candidate) is dangerous, especially if you are trying to stand out through your differences, rather than by integrating your strengths. Some of you, managers in particular, are both candidates and recruiters. And see how difficult it is for you to go beyond your biases as soon as you put on the hat of "the one who decides"! Even in our workshops dedicated to interviews, during simulations, many of you tell us that as soon as you "are the recruiter", you lose some of your listening skills. You don't have a position to fill, and yet you oppose the person in front of you with questions that would seem completely inappropriate to you as a candidate ("so, with your two children, in case of an emergency, how do you manage?" (Because I also have two, and it seems impossible to me to combine a fulfilling family life and on-call duties)). So the recruiter IS biased. They are full of implications, a partial vision, ill will, and… hey! And here, am I not showing a lot of bias by deciding to say ALL recruiters are the same? Well then, I must tell you, objectively, that the vast majority of recruiters are true professionals; they work with tools that allow them to perform a real analysis and comparison between the candidates received. They have one position and 60 candidates; making choices will necessarily make one of them happy and 59 others unhappy…
Biases and candidates
The candidate, a consecrated term (I don't like this word, for me you are a professional, not a candidate for a baccalaureate…) also arrives with their experiences, a representation of the company, the position, the consulting firm, or even the recruiter they may have met before… And the more they progress in interviews, the more the subjective part can grow. Who hasn't experienced that difficult moment when the crepe of motivation falls flat… next to you. On paper, the position appealed to you. But in front of the company's premises, after 45 minutes in traffic, your enthusiasm has dropped significantly. Except in an emergency, from now on, everything the recruiter says or asks could be held against them. (Anyway, the welcome was terrible, the premises were lost, the HR person was out of date...), because if you haven't clearly explored your motivations and choice limits, it will always be easier for you to hide behind the other person, their responsibility. Be careful, the right to say NO exists, and it is even essential. But are you sure you will keep your objectivity during the interview? Knowing how to be professional in these moments of exchange is a real asset, because prejudices intertwine and from a win-win situation initially, everyone can quickly lose out, in time, professionalism and simply in employment. Your advantage? Often, very often even, you have taken the time to question your subjectivity, whether during a counseling session with a Consultant or alone by defining your objectives. Know how to hold on to these key elements during exchanges. Don't let your instincts lead the exchange.
Biases to eliminate urgently by everyone
- Oh, a senior
- Oh, a woman
- How young they are
- Their outfit is not very professional
- Late…4 minutes it's true, but late…(infinite list)
So many biases that can be silently formulated by one or the other of the actors in the interview… (and yes, candidate and recruiter, look again at the sentences, yes, yes, you have used one or the other at least once…) in a few seconds, the damage is done, but not said, and your exchange starts badly. Very badly.
So should we stop there?
One approach: be truly in the present moment. Consider THIS interview as a unique moment, unrelated to those you have had previously, and do not "classify" your interlocutor too quickly. A clumsiness does not make someone clumsy, a hasty tone does not make someone aggressive, a slight tic does not make someone inadequate. And this applies to both sides. If being present in the present moment worries you, know that it can be worked on; many executives and managers are able to overcome a subjective posture by using methods of positive psychology and mindfulness. And it's a daily work; even the best of us remain subjective, "hopefully"* human!
*If "desperately" exists, its antonym is not in the dictionary, unfortunately! If you find one, don't hesitate, I will reuse it with real pleasure.
Laurence Charneau.
http://blog-experts.cadres.apec.fr
Posted on February 9, 2015.
