Month: February 2026

As part of this week’s assignments, I took the Implicit Association Test (IAT), and my results showed that I was moderately faster at associating Black people with negative words and White people with positive words than the opposite pairing. Seeing this result was uncomfortable, but also really eye-opening. It reinforced the idea that implicit bias isn’t something people consciously choose. Instead, it’s shaped over time by culture, media, and social experiences, often without us realizing it.

When it comes to hiring, implicit bias can impact both the reliability and validity of selection decisions. Reliability is about consistency, while validity is about whether decisions are actually based on job-related qualifications. If a hiring manager unconsciously views certain candidates more favorably because of race, names, or background, then candidates with similar skills may be evaluated differently. That makes the process less consistent and weakens how accurately it measures what really matters for the job.

Implicit bias is especially likely to show up in more subjective parts of the hiring process, like resume reviews or unstructured interviews. Even with good intentions, people often rely on “gut feelings,” and research shows those instincts can be influenced by unconscious bias (Scientific American, n.d.). Over time, these small judgments can add up and lead to patterns that disadvantage certain groups, even when an organization believes it is being fair.

One way to help reduce the impact of implicit bias is to use more structured and standardized hiring practices. This includes asking all candidates the same interview questions, using clear scoring criteria, and focusing on specific skills rather than general impressions. These steps don’t eliminate bias completely, but they do help limit its influence and make hiring decisions more consistent, fair, and job-related.

References

Scientific American. (n.d.). How to think about implicit bias. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-think-about-implicit-bias/

Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate. (n.d.). Understanding implicit bias. https://bhgrecareer.com/bebetterblog/implicit-bias/

Most of the interviews I’ve participated in have either been one on one or panel interviews. And over the last few years, many of the roles I’ve applied for have been internal, since I’ve been moving and switching positions within the same company. Because of that, previous interviews often focused less on whether I could do the job and more on my experience, why I wanted to make the change, and how my current role prepared me for the next one. For more horizontal moves, the questions were usually straightforward and centered around my background and motivations.

My most recent interview for a supervisor position felt very different. It was more intense and clearly focused on evaluating me as a people leader. The questions were about my temperament, how I stay organized, how I would handle escalations, how I work with different personalities, and how I would approach harder conversations like giving feedback or addressing performance issues. Those questions felt much more valid because they directly reflected the real responsibilities of a leadership role, rather than just technical skills.

This experience aligns with what Chamorro-Premuzic and Steinmetz describe in “The Perfect Hire“, where they argue that unstructured interviews often lack predictive validity, while structured, behavior based questions are more effective at predicting future performance. Interviews that focus on real situations and judgment provide more useful information for employers and a better assessment of leadership potential overall.

I’ve also always found it helpful to ask for feedback after interviews where I didn’t get the position. In one case, I was told that I didn’t ask enough questions about the role itself or what the day to day work looked like, which made it seem like I wasn’t very interested. Since then, I’ve made it a point to ask more thoughtful, role specific questions in every interview. Overall, most of my interviews have been effective, especially as learning experiences. Each one has helped me better highlight my strengths, understand employer expectations, and grow more confident in future interviews.

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References

Chamorro-Premuzic, T., & Steinmetz, C. (2013). The perfect hire. Scientific American Mind, 24(3), 42–47.

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