The case of the Muslim MBA candidate who applied for a job in a diamond export firm and was turned down because of his religion has been making news. While the HR team was obvious about it – the company later clarified that HR trainees had bungled – there is no doubt that various biases influence hiring decisions.
Here’s what the behavioural analysts have found out about the hiring process:
1. Tall men have higher probability of getting hired than short men. And this is simply because they are perceived to be more proficient and powerful.
2. Candidates are more likely to be shortlisted if they wear glasses for the interview. A lot of people seem to have this perception that people who wear glasses are more focused or sincere.
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3. Around 30% of the participants mentioned that their decision was influenced if the candidate was wearing religious accessories (neck wear, wristband) or had a tattoo, nose ring, piercing or coloured hair.
4. Some recruiters have a quirky habit of looking for candidate’s birthdate on the resume and categorizing him/her as a Scorpion or Virgo.
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5. Recruiters tend to make stereotypes on the first name or last name of the candidate even before the guy opens his mouth in an interview. They may not perceive a certain ‘Siddhant’ or a ‘Rishikesh’ on par with a ‘Sid’ or a ‘Rishi’ in the same light.
Source: Jombay, competency assessments & analytics
