When it comes to conducting an interview, it is important to be as fair, impartial, and honest during the process as possible. The reality is that the person conducting the interview is still human, so judgments and biases are going to arise. It is important to make sure these issues do not impact someone's ability to make fair and impartial decisions. The way this is done is to recognize that interviewer bias is an actual thing.

For those who might not know, interviewer bias is a situation where the person conducting the interview makes a decision based not on his or her skills or abilities but on irrelevant personal impressions that might come up during the course of the interview. It is important to note that these biases are present in everyone and actually act as an evolutionary mechanism. For example, people might have a "bias" that a certain situation is dangerous (such as a gun being pointed at them). This acts as a mental shortcut, allowing someone to make a decision that is in their best interests. The problem is that this can impact someone who is trying to conduct a fair and impartial interview and could lead to major problems down the road. Therefore, it is important to understand how bias might impact job interviews, research studies, and surveys.

For example, a situation might come up where a person is conducting an interview with someone and that person might remind the interviewer of an ex-boyfriend or girlfriend. As a result, the interviewer might unfairly pass judgment on that person. In a research study, bias might come up where the interviewer is so convinced that the results are some way that he or she ends up fudging the data tables to make a point. These are two serious issues that impact not only the interviewer but anyone else who was relying on fair results to make a decision. This is why it is important to not only recognize biases when they come up in the course of an interview but also to avoid them when possible.

Types of Interview Bias

When it comes to the types of interview bias, it is important to understand what they are, why they matter, and how they might impact certain results. The types of bias in research PPT are similar to the types of bias in epidemiology. This is going to help guide interviewers as they try to navigate the interview in a process that is fair and impartial.

The first type of bias that people need to know is something called recall bias. In recall bias, the interviewer unfairly favors (or disapproves of) someone simply because they were the first to go or the last person in the interview line. Sometimes, the mind has a habit of interpreting the first person (or the most recent person) in a certain way which is unfair to the rest of the people involved. This could unfairly impact results.

Another type of bias is called selection bias. This is where the researcher or interviewer unnecessarily or unfairly interprets those who decide to participate in one portion of the study and those who do not. Or, this could impact those who end up in the control group versus those who are in the treatment group. The group that someone is in might impact how the interviewer interprets the results. This is an example of selection bias epidemiology.

Confounding bias is a type of bias where the interviewer spots a trend that they think has an impact on the results when in reality this is nothing more than a coincidence. In research studies, it is important to take steps to control for confounding to prevent it from impacting the results unnecessarily.

Finally, the last type of bias that everyone has to note is something called misclassification bias. This is where a subject or person is categorized in one group incorrectly, which has an impact on the results of the study. Everyone has to take the time to make sure they categorize every part of the study in an appropriate manner. This will help people avoid these biases and the impacts that might result.

Identifying and Avoiding Interview Biases

One of the most important steps that everyone has to take involves identifying and avoiding interview biases. To make this happen, it is important to understand interviewer bias psychology and make a note of unconscious bias in interviewing. For those who are wondering how to make this happen, there are a few tips to keep in mind. First, try to take steps to standardize the interview process. This will make sure that everyone gets a fair shot when they show up for the interview. Nobody will be subjected to a different set of rules than the person who was in there before them.

Next, as the interview unfolds, it is important to make every effort possible to take good notes. Memory is simply not the best way to conduct an interview as people forget things all the time. By taking good notes, everyone will be remembered fairly when the time comes to evaluate the interview. It is also a good idea to try to compare these notes to a rubric. A rubric is a helpful way to objectively score every interview as the process unfolds. This will help people make sure they provide a fair interview. Finally, nobody should end up having to make decisions about a candidate on their own. It is a good idea to try to get input from other people during the decision-making process. When other people are involved, the chances of bias from one interviewer impacting the entire decision is going to be much lower.