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Why It Matters

 

“You don’t have to be malicious to be biased — you just have to be human.”

Even the most well-intentioned hiring processes are full of bias. Some are obvious. Most are subtle. But all of them impact your ability to identify and attract the best executive talent.

Bias doesn’t just affect who gets hired — it affects who gets considered in the first place.

Where Bias Shows Up

Bias lives in:

  •  Resume screening
  • Referral networks
  • Interview formats

  • Debriefs and decision meetings

  •  Resume screening

Some common forms include:

  • Affinity bias (we like people who feel familiar) 
  • Confirmation bias (we look for data to support our first impression) 
  • Halo effect (we overvalue one impressive attribute) 
  • Pedigree bias (we equate credentials with competence)

 

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Mistakes to Avoid

  • Believing bias training alone solves the problem

  • Assuming your process is “objective” because it’s structured

  •  Over-indexing on culture fit at the expense of culture add

Bias Hits Harder in Executive Hiring

At the leadership level:

  • Roles are less standardized 
  • Signals are more ambiguous 
  • Decisions are more political 

That’s where bias thrives — in ambiguity. And it’s where companies miss out on transformative talent that doesn’t fit the mold.

How to Reduce Bias Without Slowing Down

  • Use structured scorecards for every stage

  • Diversify your shortlists (especially early in the process)

  • Define what success looks like before you meet candidates

  • Debrief with discipline — separate facts from impressions

  •  Design interviews to test real-world thinking, not résumé recall

What Great Looks Like

  • A hiring process that values outcomes over optics

  • A team that challenges each other’s assumptions

  • A shortlist that reflects your future — not just your past

TL;DR: Supporting Hiring Managers

  • Bias is natural — but it must be managed

  • It shows up early, subtly, and often invisibly

  • You can’t eliminate it, but you can design around it

  • Great executive hiring requires great self-awareness

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