{"id":1695,"date":"2026-08-04T15:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T13:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fosfor.nl\/?p=1695"},"modified":"2026-07-29T17:13:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T15:13:09","slug":"reducing-bias-in-job-interviews-heres-how-to-do-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fosfor.nl\/en\/bias-in-sollicitatiegesprekken-verminderen-zo-doe-je-dat\/","title":{"rendered":"Reducing bias in job interviews: here\u2019s how"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two interviewers can conduct the same interview and yet come away with different impressions. Usually, this is not down to the candidate, but to the way our brains select, interpret and remember information. Who reducing bias in job interviews<\/strong> If you want to take this seriously, you must first learn to recognise where things go wrong and then organise the process in such a way that you leave less room for arbitrariness.<\/p>\n

What is interview bias (and why is it so persistent)?<\/h2>\n

Interview bias is any systematic distortion that causes your assessment to differ from what someone is likely to demonstrate in the role. It is therefore not a matter of \u201ca one-off misjudgement\u201d, but of patterns that recur predictably.<\/p>\n

Bias often arises from time pressure, scarcity (\u201cwe have to find someone\u201d), an interview structure that is too loose, or too much emphasis on first impressions. The brain wants to make sense of things quickly: does this person fit my image, yes or no?<\/p>\n

The tricky thing is that bias often masquerades as a rational conclusion. Phrases such as \u201cI just don\u2019t see it\u201d or \u201cthis doesn\u2019t feel like a senior role\u201d sound well-founded, but are often simply a summary of impressions without any evidence.<\/p>\n

Why this also poses a risk to your organisation<\/h3>\n

A subjective interview not only leads to poorer hires, but also to decisions that are difficult to justify. This becomes particularly tricky if a rejected candidate asks for the reasoning behind the decision, or if there is an internal debate about \u2018who was the best\u2019.<\/p>\n

In the Netherlands, this also relates to equal treatment. The legislation is clear on the prohibition of discrimination in employment, including recruitment and selection. See the explanation of the Central Government on discrimination<\/a> for the legal basis.<\/p>\n

The most common forms of bias in interviews<\/h2>\n

Bias is rarely just one thing. In practice, small distortions accumulate, which can skew the final decision.<\/p>\n\t\t

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