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Discover why implicit bias within management may impact your selection as an HR manager (EEO & Diversity).
To better understand implicit bias within HR management, I have decided to complete Harvard’s Project Implicit test on weight (Harvard University, 2013). As I completed the test, my results showed a “moderate automatic preference for thin people over fat people” (Project Implicit, 2025). In the beginning, my results surprised me, but it demonstrates how implicit associations can form, and not something you believe in, yet it may be related to the structure of our society. It’s important to discuss implicit bias, as it arises from our brain’s tendency to notice patterns and make quick generalizations (Payne et al., 2018).
In hiring and selection, implicit bias threatens both reliability and validity. One’s reliability declines when interviewers’ judgments vary based on unconscious stereotypes rather than consistent evaluation criteria. Evaluating the individuals you interview, based on appearance or presumptions instead of skill, compromises validity. It should be a priority to effectively measure performance related to the job/position the interview is trying to conduct. In other words, if an interviewer unconsciously connects being thin with discipline, then there are heavier applicants that may be missed. Possibly making the hiring process less fair and reliable for all candidates.
To better understand when implicit bias occurs, it often develops early in our minds and is reinforced through social cues and media (Vandiver, 2021). Vandiver also mentions that you must be aware of it and able to address bad habits purposefully through mindfulness and self-reflection are important ways to deal with it. An effective way to avoid implicit bias in hiring is to use structured interviews with standard questions, score rubrics, and diverse hiring panels. Having a structure listed above will ground your hiring decisions in job-related evidence rather than intuition, which improves reliability (Oregon State University, 2025). While implicit bias cannot simply be resolved around the world, I will say that creating evidence-based procedures to acknowledge and minimize its influence will allow an organization to achieve more equitable and positive hiring outcomes.
References
Harvard University. (2013). Project Implicit. Harvard.edu. https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/
Oregon State University. (2025). Week 3 Lecture 2 – Introduction to EEO and Diversity. College of Business.
Payne, K., Niemi, L., & Doris, J. M. (2018). How to think about “implicit bias.”Scientific American.https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-think-about-implicit-bias/
Project Implicit. (2025, October 28). Implicit Association Test. Harvard.edu. https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/Study?tid=-1
Vandiver, B. J. (2021). Understanding implicit bias—and how to work through it.Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Be Better Blog.https://bhgrecareer.com/bebetterblog/implicit-bias/