{"id":1043,"date":"2022-06-30T16:26:39","date_gmt":"2022-06-30T15:26:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/articles.acdev.co.uk\/articles\/?p=1043"},"modified":"2025-01-28T12:19:14","modified_gmt":"2025-01-28T12:19:14","slug":"96-of-recruiters-think-unconscious-bias-is-a-problem-but-can-it-be-avoided","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.agencycentral.co.uk\/articles\/96-of-recruiters-think-unconscious-bias-is-a-problem-but-can-it-be-avoided\/","title":{"rendered":"96% of recruiters think unconscious bias is a problem, but can it be avoided?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Let me ask you a question: have you ever discriminated against a candidate? <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

While I have no doubt that you always try to conduct a fair hiring process, research suggests that all recruiters are susceptible to making decisions based on looks or background \u2013 and you might not even know you\u2019re doing it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unconscious bias is widespread in recruitment and can be detrimental to agencies, employers and job applicants.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what exactly is unconscious bias and is there anything recruiters can do to avoid it? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is unconscious bias?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Unconscious bias, also known as implicit bias, occurs when we use our own experiences to make a quick judgement on an individual or group. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s essentially a form of stereotyping, whereby we unintentionally apply labels to different demographics and use them to inform our opinions. <\/p>\n\n\n

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There are many types of unconscious bias and each can sway your opinion on a candidate, although affinity bias is typically the most common in recruitment<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This suggests that you\u2019ll favour a candidate who is \u2018like you\u2019 (because we\u2019re all drawn to people who are similar to ourselves).   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research into unconscious bias<\/a> suggests that this type of stereotyping comes from our ancestors\u2019 predisposition to form relationships with groups similar to themselves \u2013 as a means to protect against \u2018outsiders\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While this defence mechanism is no longer necessary, we still carry around biases in order to make sense of the world around us and form instant decisions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is unconscious bias a problem in recruitment? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Due to the nature of hiring, the recruitment process is vulnerable to the trappings of unconscious bias.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We recently carried out a poll with our network of recruitment leaders and found that 96% of recruiters think that unconscious bias is a problem<\/strong> in the recruitment process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only that, but more than a third of recruiters believe that unconscious bias is a \u2018big problem\u2019.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only 4% think it has no impact on the recruitment process at all. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Jane Storer, Operations Director at ASC Connections<\/a>, thinks that unconscious bias is a key contributor to bad hires and something that recruiters need to eliminate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She said: \u201cThe impact that unconscious bias may have on the recruitment process should not be underestimated. It is often said that we like people more if we feel they are like us. But what if we are recruiting for a role that demands that the best person is nothing like us? If we don\u2019t standardise our recruitment process, best case we end up with the right person in the wrong role and worst case, wrong person, wrong role\u201d.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Extensive research into the topic suggests that unconscious bias may, indeed, be underestimated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, in 2015, CIPD produced a report into the role that behavioural science plays in recruitment<\/a> and found that a whole range of factors can influence how an employer evaluates a candidate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the findings included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n