How to Uncover (and Overcome) Unconscious Bias at Work

Unconscious bias is prevalent in everyone’s day-to-day thoughts as we process countless amounts of information. This tendency to categorize experiences and people can be useful when making quick decisions, but it can also harm those around you if left unexamined.

When unconscious bias seeps into the workplace, whether in the recruiting process, interview stage, or during evaluations or promotional considerations, it can create an overly homogenous atmosphere with blind spots that affect the bottom line. Some unconscious bias examples include:

• First Impression: The first few minutes of an interview stick more  in the hiring manager’s mind than anything else, especially if they are negative
• Similarity Bias: An employer tends to favor candidates who remind them of themselves
• Effective Heuristics: Interviewers allow superficial factors (e.g., weight, age, gender, and attractiveness) to influence decisions

While unconscious bias compromising objectivity during a job interview is a significant hurdle, other forms occur even earlier in the process. For example, studies have revealed employers tend to favor applicants with more common-sounding (or whiter) names by giving them interviews at a higher rate than minority candidates. Job description bias can even prevent entire demographics of candidates from applying altogether based on masculine or feminine wording within job postings.

Break Through Barriers in Your Job Search

Register today and access more tools to improve your career.

Get Started

Sign in with Google

Sign in with LinkedIn

Sign in with Apple

Or, use your email address:

Next

We value your privacy.

On today’s episode of Find Your Niche: A Career Podcast, host Lori Cole lists the types of unconscious bias you need to be aware of in your career journey, how to identify them, and, most importantly, how to prevent them from derailing your career prospects. She also discusses the issue with HR Shield Human Resources Consultant Jenni Stone, who shares a personal story of bias she combatted in one interview during her career.

Subscribe to Find Your Niche wherever you listen to podcasts for more career advice!