Interview Bias: Overcoming the Silent Forces Working Against
You
by Simma Lieberman and Kate Berardo
Published on this site: December 3rd, 2005 - See
more articles from this month
Your job interview is tomorrow. You know your appearance will
matter, so you polish your shoes and brush your hair. You
realize your interviewer will have your resume in hand, so
you've come prepared to explain every minute detail included
on it. You've even done practice interviews and prepared your
responses to all the trick questions. Are you ready? Not yet.
There remains a single type of preparation that you should
do that can make or break your interview-knowing how to handle
the possible biases of an interviewer. You need this knowledge
because of a simple reality; interviews are subjective, no
matter how many objective indicators are introduced. Interviewers
are human, and all carry with them some assumptions about
different types of people. Despite what may be valid attempts
to leave these assumptions behind in the process, even the
most earnest interviewer may be letting some of these biases
make their way into the decision-making process. The best
candidate for a job has many a time been passed over in the
interview process because of bias. You don't want to be one
of them.
You're not likely to be able to change the bias itself in
the short duration of the interview, and you may not be able
to recognize it with so much else going on. You can, however,
increase the chances that the interviewer will not apply their
biases or assumptions toward you. This means preparing for
the possible biases of an interviewer before you encounter
him/her. You therefore need to recognize the most likely biases
people have toward you and prepare to address these biases
in interviews to minimize their impact.
Pinpointing Potential Biases
Many people think biases surround visible differences that
people have, like race, gender, or appearance. This is true.
However, biases usually run much deeper and assumptions are
made about a number of other potential differences you may
have with your interviewer. An interviewer may unconsciously
make assumptions about you based on the way that you speak,
your age, or any of the background information you have listed
on your resume.
To figure out some of the biases that may surface, give some
thought to comments people have made to you in the past that
surprised you. Have people thought you were much younger or
older than you actually are? Have they assumed you were less
intelligent because of your accent? Have you been labeled
because of the way you dress? Have people been surprised to
learn something in particular about you? Make a list of some
of these assumptions or obstacles that could impede on the
interviewer from seeing you as the best candidate.
Use your friends to add to your recollection. Ask them what
their first impressions of you were. Colleagues from the past
are especially valuable since they know you in a work atmosphere
and work attire. Have friends read through your resume and
create a list of five statements they would make about you
based on your resume. Ask them to limit their responses to
information on the resume and explain your goal in the exercise
so you get honest answers. Combine these statements with ones
people have made about you in the past and keep a list handy with all of these assumptions.
The Information Inundation Technique
Once you get a sense for the impression you make and the
biases people may have against you, make sure you address
them. You should still be focused on demonstrating why you
are a qualified candidate for the job. Therefore, while delivering persuasive responses to interviewer questions,
saturate your responses with information that will also undo
biases. Here are some suggestions:
- Match their speech and behaviors. It is a good
idea in general to match your interviewers in terms of their
speech and behaviors for etiquette purposes. If an interviewer
is formal in their speech, you should be as well. If they
sit up straight, don't slouch. This will help reduce assumptions
they make about you based on differences they perceive they
have from you.
- Acknowledge & Spin It. If you sense a bias,
don't be afraid to address what it is you think is being
held against you. If you have an accent, explain what you
do to make yourself understood. If you are young, note it,
but also explain what your age adds and focus more on the experiences
you have had that makes you worthy of the position. If you
are a woman working in a male-dominated profession, explain
what you can add to the position very specifically because
you are female. Make a point to show the value of the aspect
in question.
- Find a connection. When you get the chance to
ask your own questions at the end of the interview, work
to establish a connection with your interviewer. Ask them
what they like about the company in question, and communicate
your ability to relate to some of the traits he or she identifies.
Make a point of smiling and try to be friendly. An open,
communicative style on your part is helpful to address any
negative biases that person may unconsciously be holding
against you.
- Communicate your Bridge Building potential. A
successful job candidate is not only someone who can do
the job, but someone who can work in the organization's
culture and be able to do the job well in the long run.
Interviewers with biases may assume that you will not fit
well into the organization's culture because of your differences.
Communicate your ability to work with different people,
think from different perspectives, and be open-minded. Give
examples. Ask about the company culture and talk about your
ability to work with and relate to different people.
- Make it a strength. Have you had to deal with
this someone who has been biased before because of something
about the way you are? Use the experience to show your interviewer
how you successfully overcame a difficulty. Emphasize the
learning and growth you experienced as a result. This can help an interviewer recognize that their
own unconscious bias is impacting their impressions. Make
sure you don't insinuate in any way that your interviewer
is biased. Your job in the interview is to demonstrate that
you are a highly-skilled individual equipped to do the job
for which you are applying. Critiquing your interviewer
is not a step in the right direction.
- Assume you are the best person for the position.
Have you noticed that it is that much harder to sit up straight
when you are feeling down in the dumps? Most people show
their emotions in one way or another, and facing a biased
interviewer is likely to stir some serious emotions of anger,
frustration, devastation, or defeat. It is important to
push through these feelings during the interview so that
it doesn't impact your demeanor during the rest of the interview. You can decide later whether you want to work
for the company the interviewer represents.
- Make a Habit of it. Finally, get into the habit
of building bias prep into your interview prep. Build these
techniques into your responses and practice saying them
so you are comfortable in the interview. Have a friend role-play
the biased interview. Make it realistic. How will you face
this practice situation?
Interview bias exists, but it doesn't have to impact your
potential to get hired. Use these techniques to improve your
chances of getting hired based on your qualifications and
motivation rather than being excluded because of interviewer
bias.
Simma Lieberman helps organizations create environments
where people can do their best work and be successful. She
specializes in Diversity and Inclusion, Diversity Dialogues,
and Eliminating Fear and Self-doubt. Simma is the co-author
with Kate Berardo and George Simons of the book "Putting
Diversity to Work." She can be reached at http://www.simmalieberman.com
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