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Just Get Over It

Dec 18, 2009 / Recruiting / Trackback

stopPersonal bias can really get in the way of candidate selection. Recognizing that as Utopian, Zen and Feng Shui as we are, we all have personal biases. Identifying them allows us to acknowledge them. Once we acknowledge them we can consciously table them and not allow them to affect our decisions.

For instance, there once was a woman named Reina…… It’s your lucky day for I will spare you the very gory details.

It’s not a common name in the US and it had been a few years years since I had been subjected to it. About 7 years ago as a call center manager I received a calendar appointment to interview a “Reyna”. The hair stood up on the back of my neck. Immediately, all I could think of was there was no way I was going to deal with that even though I knew with 100% certainty that it was not the same person.

I got up and took a walk.  I needed air. And as I walked I talked with other personalities that reside in my mind and as we conversed and sorted it all out we came to the conclusion it was important to give this person a chance.

It’s not the same Reina so what are you worried about? She doesn’t even spell it the same way. You can’t judge a person by her name, don’t be ridiculous. What if you dismiss her because of something in your past that nothing to do with her, miss out on a great hire and do her an injustice? Just get over it.

I took some deep breaths, convinced myself to do the right thing and accepted the interview. Reyna turned out to have very high performance reviews over the next 5 years and in most respects really was a model employee.

This is a true story! I’m glad I recognized it wouldn’t be fair to judge someone on something that wouldn’t be performance related. Had I allowed my personal bias over a name to influence my decision it would have been a very big mistake.

What personal bias have you had to deal with? Was it difficult to recognize it existed? How did you overcome it?


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Responses

shennee
Dec 19, 2009 at 3:14 AM

Nice Karla-
I am sure that was an interesting hiring experience for you. You can't judge a book by it's cover, and names are included.
Keep up the great writing. You inspire me!


pasmuz
Dec 19, 2009 at 3:32 PM

Karla, I just did a draft for my blog on this similar subject. (I had a dream about vampires last night that inspired it.) Personal bias is something every HR person struggles with. We are still human after all. My guess is that the biggest struggle for HR is people naturally like people who like them, & dislike those who dislike us. I always move through this by reminding myself: this is not my personal life; this is the workplace & it's about the work.
The worst case of personal bias that I ever experienced was not mine, but someone else's. I worked for someone that had a reputation for blackballing internal candidates. The reasons were never spoken. It didn't matter if they had the KSA's. Solution: moved my employment elsewhere.


Margo Rose
Dec 19, 2009 at 3:40 PM

Karla, it's so funny that you write about this topic. I used to feel the same way about people named “Nancy.” The reason is pointless to discuss, but the bottom line is that certain names can evoke psychological reactions based on memory. There are some incredible Nancys in the world, just as there are Reynahs. I hired a Renah when I owned my own business. She turned out to be the best employee I ever had. Thanks for writing this post. As always, you know how to bring a message home.

Your twitterpal,

@HRMargo Margo Rose http://hrmargo.com


karlaporter
Dec 19, 2009 at 4:50 PM

Shennee – When our mind plays tricks on us we have to be trickier! I see a faithful reader award in your future :-)

pasmuz – You hit the proverbial nail on the head “this is not my personal life; this is the workplace & it's about the work.” Also, you did the right thing at that blackball place… I would have done just the same. I have 0 tolerance for certain things.

Margo Rose – Ugh…. you mean there is a 3rd way to spell it? Deep breath……..


pasmuz
Dec 19, 2009 at 8:32 PM

Karla, I just did a draft for my blog on this similar subject. (I had a dream about vampires last night that inspired it.) Personal bias is something every HR person struggles with. We are still human after all. My guess is that the biggest struggle for HR is people naturally like people who like them, & dislike those who dislike us. I always move through this by reminding myself: this is not my personal life; this is the workplace & it's about the work.
The worst case of personal bias that I ever experienced was not mine, but someone else's. I worked for someone that had a reputation for blackballing internal candidates. The reasons were never spoken. It didn't matter if they had the KSA's. Solution: moved my employment elsewhere.


Margo Rose
Dec 19, 2009 at 8:40 PM

Karla, it's so funny that you write about this topic. I used to feel the same way about people named “Nancy.” The reason is pointless to discuss, but the bottom line is that certain names can evoke psychological reactions based on memory. There are some incredible Nancys in the world, just as there are Reynahs. I hired a Renah when I owned my own business. She turned out to be the best employee I ever had. Thanks for writing this post. As always, you know how to bring a message home.

Your twitterpal,

@HRMargo Margo Rose http://hrmargo.com


karlaporter
Dec 19, 2009 at 9:50 PM

Shennee – When our mind plays tricks on us we have to be trickier! I see a faithful reader award in your future :-)

pasmuz – You hit the proverbial nail on the head “this is not my personal life; this is the workplace & it's about the work.” Also, you did the right thing at that blackball place… I would have done just the same. I have 0 tolerance for certain things.

Margo Rose – Ugh…. you mean there is a 3rd way to spell it? Deep breath……..


jenileedeal
Jan 13, 2010 at 12:10 AM

Thanks for the insightful article! To add another layer, HR not only has to deal with personal biases, but also the perceived biases of management and clients (for service-oriented businesses). It seems to me that in all cases the solution is the same. That is, HR must put any biases or perceived biases aside, regardless of circumstances.


karlaporter
Jan 13, 2010 at 1:07 AM

@jenileedeal Thanks for your visit and comment. What you said is so true… it takes broad shoulders.


Anonymous
Aug 29, 2011 at 12:47 AM

Karla, it’s funny you mention it, I’ve had a similar situation in my past.  My Ex Husband’s first wife was named “Nancy.”  I used to say to my girlfriends, “I’ve never met a Nancy I like…I think it’s a cursed name.”  It’s silly, and yet, I held a bias.  It’s the opposite of the halo effect.  May I should call it the pitch fork effect.  I’ve since met some wonderful people named Nancy…but to be honest, it was an irrational bias that prevented me from giving all the Nancy’s a fair chance.  


Karla
Aug 29, 2011 at 9:40 AM

Such an excellent example of the phenomena we are all prey to. Being aware allows you to ‘check’ your bias… which is a good thing for any Nancy job seekers that come across your desk =)


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