How to Implement a Fair Interview Process

It’s important that every applicant has a fair chance to showcase their skills and abilities in an interview. Interviewing candidates using a consistent and fair interview process will help to reduce discrimination and bias so that all applicants get an equal opportunity to succeed.

For most roles, assessing candidates’ skills will help you make a fairer and more effective decision on who the best candidate is, rather than whether they have a degree or attended a ‘prestigious’ university.

Here are a few methods that can be implemented to ensure a fair interview process for candidates.

Using structured interview questions

Implementing structured questions and carefully planning interviews is one way to remove bias from the interview process. This means that candidates are all asked the same questions in the same order which introduces more objectivity into your hiring process.

For instance, if one candidate is asked a specific question at the beginning of the interview and another is asked that same question but at the end, it could affect the interviewer’s perception of the candidate. This is due to cognitive biases such as the peak-end rule, where our memories are heavily weighted towards the end moments of an experience.

Research has shown the importance of structured interview questions in reducing interviewer bias and minimising error. Structured interview questions are also a moderate to good predictor of future job performance (Schmidt, 2016).

Asking relevant questions  

It’s also important to only ask candidates relevant questions that are appropriate for the role that they’re applying for. To help with this, identify the skillsets and qualities needed for the role or your organisation.

Asking relevant questions that tie in with the essential role specifications will be more beneficial for both the recruiter and the candidate.

Using scoring systems and notes

To remove subjectivity and bias from interview evaluations, you should use a standardised scoring system to score applicants’ responses. This will help provide a fair interview process as you can compare and review these scores with peer interviewers afterwards.

It’s worth spending time developing a scoring system that’s simple and easy to use. For example, you could develop a likert 1-5 scale with clear pointers on what would be included in an answer ranked ‘one’ versus one ranked ‘five’. This way, the same standardised scoring system is used to score each candidate, which can help to reduce the influence of bias and subjective personal preference.

It’s also a good idea to take notes during the interview so that you can recall respondents’ answers more easily. This can minimise cognitive biases as it means that you aren’t solely relying on your memory and you have notes to look back on, helping you assess candidates fairly.

Having a diverse panel

We know that for small charities it can be hard to get multiple people on an interview panel. However, judgements may be less accurate when only one person is interviewing.

For example, similarity bias can occur. This is when an interviewer likes a particular candidate more because they have similar interests or a similar background to them. Even if the candidate doesn’t have the right skills or experience needed for the role, they may be seen more favourably by the interviewer.

Research has shown how personal feelings and bias may contribute to decision making. One way we can address this is by diversifying the panel. This can be a great way to ensure a fair interview process, as it means there’s more than one person interviewing the candidate. Also, having diversity within the panel helps assess the candidate more fairly as there’s a broader perspective.

Providing flexibility for candidates

Giving candidates the option to attend first stage interviews either online or in person, means that they can choose what’s most suitable for them.

For example, for someone who lives far away from the office, it may be better to conduct a first stage interview virtually rather than in person, as otherwise they would need to spend extra time and money on commuting that they might not be able to afford.

Giving choice to candidates on their preferred method to be interviewed, in addition to offering any reasonable adjustments, provides them with a fairer and more equal opportunity.

Using tasks and assessments

Allocating work sample tasks to candidates as part of the interview process gives recruiters an idea of the level they each are working at. This allows candidates to practically demonstrate the required skills for the role, rather than relying solely on their ability to convey their skills through questions and answers.

It’s fairer and more useful to give candidates work sample tasks further into the interview process, such as if they’re called in for a second stage interview. If 20 people are called in for an interview and you only plan to take five of these interviewees to the next stage, it would be better to only give the work sample task to the chosen five candidates, rather than ask another 15 to do it unnecessarily.

When assessing work samples, it’s essential to spend time carefully reviewing each one, and not just skim over them quickly, to make sure you select the right candidate.

It might also be valuable to ask other employees, or those who are interview trained, to review a piece of work the candidate has done. Asking for feedback from someone who isn’t on the interview panel, and has no prior knowledge of the applicant, could give a fresh perspective and minimise bias.

A step in the right direction

Make sure to book in regular staff training on how to conduct effective and fair interviews so that interview techniques and knowledge are regularly practiced and refreshed. Also ensure that questions and assessments are regularly checked and standardised.

In addition, requesting interview feedback from candidates through a survey, or an alternative method, might be insightful in understanding their perspective on the interview process. It would also allow you to make improvements from any suggestions received.

Providing a fair interview process is beneficial not just for candidates, but also for recruiters in trying to identify the best talent and in increasing diversity in their organisation. Implementing these methods will be a step in the right direction in attempting to make interviews fairer.