It's Sad When You Love the Company More Than You Love the Candidate...

I know, I know - you're the consumate HR pro, no bias.  You're a straight shooter, the model of fairness, and you never make a call on who to hire based on:

1. What the candidate looks like;

2. What company the candidate has worked for in the past;

3. The clothes the candidate wore and the proximity of those duds to the styles where you like to shop (WalMart is the new Target people); or

4. Who they know, or what their spouse does for a living.

You're perfect.  Of course, if we did the blind candidate taste test, you would have no shot, you imperfect fool.  From the Wall Street Journal:

"During regular “blind taste tests,” in which Microsoft asks randomly-selected consumers to score the quality of results from various Internet search engines, the quality of Microsoft’s search results have so improved that people can’t tell the difference between Microsoft and Google search results, says Mr. Mehdi, senior vice president of Microsoft’s online audience business group. But when Microsoft slaps the Google brand name on the results from Microsoft’s own search engine during another portion of its tests, users invariably score them highest.

“Just by putting the name up, people think it’s more relevant,” he says.

Just got a new laptop with XP.  First thing I did?  Changed the search default in IE7 to Google.  Gotta keep it clean. 

And the candidates I interview?  I bring no bias to the table.  Wait a second - if I'm imperferct and I'm not aware of the bias I have, am I accountable for that?

I'm interviewing an Enron candidate this week just to look progressive...

Comments

[plzzshop7]

http://www.hrcapitalist.com/

[plzzshop7]

p l z z s h o p.c o m

[Pat]

This is so true. Unfortunately bias based on first impression, we all carry a bias based on first impression no matter how hard we try no to. It is just part of being a human in this material world. With that said, be yourself, but dress to impress and put your best foot forward.