Unconscious bias is one of the most significant challenges facing the hiring process today, often occurring without the decision-maker even realizing it. These biases can lead to unfair treatment of candidates and hinder diversity and innovation, particularly in industries like mining and manufacturing, where diversity is crucial for addressing complex challenges. Understanding the types of unconscious bias is the first step toward mitigating them and creating a more inclusive hiring process.

Here, we explore five common types of unconscious bias that affect hiring decisions, with real-world examples from the mining and manufacturing sectors.

1. Affinity Bias

What It Is: Affinity bias occurs when we feel a natural connection or similarity to someone who shares our background, interests, or experiences. In hiring, this often manifests when interviewers favor candidates who remind them of themselves.

Example:
In industries like mining, where specific educational backgrounds and job paths are highly valued, hiring managers might favor candidates who attended the same university or worked in similar companies. For example, a mining project manager might be more inclined to hire a candidate who studied mining engineering at their alma mater, even if another candidate has a more diverse and potentially more relevant skill set.

How to Combat It:
Use structured interview formats where all candidates are asked the same set of questions. This ensures that each candidate is evaluated based on their skills and qualifications, rather than personal connections or shared experiences.

2. Gender Bias

What It Is: Gender bias refers to preconceived notions about the abilities or roles of people based on their gender. This bias often leads to stereotypes that certain jobs are more suited for men or women.

Example:
Both the mining and manufacturing sectors have historically been male-dominated. A hiring manager may unconsciously view a male candidate as a better fit for a physically demanding role, even though a female candidate has the required skills and qualifications. For example, in mining, women may be unfairly overlooked for operational roles in the field due to outdated assumptions about physical strength or risk tolerance.

How to Combat It:
Review job descriptions to remove gendered language, and provide unconscious bias training to hiring teams. Additionally, include diverse hiring panels to bring different perspectives to the process and minimize gender bias.

3. Confirmation Bias

What It Is: Confirmation bias is the tendency to search for or interpret information that confirms pre-existing beliefs or expectations. In hiring, this bias can lead to overemphasizing details that align with a preconceived notion about a candidate.

Example:
A hiring manager might assume that a candidate who worked at a well-known manufacturing company will automatically perform well in their role. They might focus only on the information that supports this assumption while ignoring red flags such as lack of relevant project experience or poor teamwork skills. This can result in hiring someone who fits their bias but may not be the best fit for the position.

How to Combat It:
Standardize resume screening and interview evaluation processes. Focus on specific criteria relevant to the job rather than making decisions based on assumptions. Conduct blind resume reviews where candidate names, gender, and previous company names are removed to ensure objective evaluations.

4. Halo Effect

What It Is: The halo effect occurs when one positive attribute of a candidate influences the overall perception of their abilities, causing the hiring manager to overlook potential weaknesses.

Example:
A candidate with a degree from a prestigious university or a well-known certification (e.g., Project Management Professional in manufacturing) may be viewed more favorably, even if their practical skills or hands-on experience in the field don’t match the requirements of the job. In the mining industry, a candidate’s impressive work on one high-profile project could overshadow their lack of diverse experience across various types of mining operations.

How to Combat It:
Focus on a candidate’s holistic skill set rather than one standout feature. Use competency-based assessments that require candidates to demonstrate relevant skills and qualifications beyond their educational background or one particular job success.

5. Stereotyping

What It Is: Stereotyping is the oversimplified and fixed belief about a particular group of people. In hiring, stereotyping leads to biased judgments based on attributes like age, ethnicity, or background.

Example:
Stereotyping can occur when hiring managers assume that older candidates may not be able to adapt to new technologies, or that younger candidates are less reliable or experienced. For instance, in the manufacturing industry, an older candidate applying for a role involving cutting-edge machinery might be overlooked because the hiring team assumes they won't be tech-savvy.

How to Combat It:
Promote skills-based hiring practices where the focus is on the candidate’s ability to meet the demands of the role, regardless of their age, gender, or other demographic factors. Training hiring managers on recognizing and addressing stereotypes is also crucial to mitigating this bias.

How to Address Unconscious Bias in Your Hiring Process

1. Unconscious Bias Training:
   Providing hiring managers and recruitment teams with unconscious bias training can help them recognize and mitigate these biases. Regular training sessions will help foster a culture of awareness and inclusivity.
2. Structured Interviews and Standardized Assessments:
   Implementing structured interviews where all candidates are asked the same set of questions ensures fairness and consistency. Standardized skills assessments can also ensure that all candidates are evaluated based on their abilities rather than subjective judgments.
3. Diverse Hiring Panels:
   Including a diverse group of people in the hiring process brings different perspectives, which can help identify biases and make the process more balanced. A diverse panel is less likely to collectively favor one candidate due to shared biases.
4. Blind Recruitment Practices:
   Blind recruitment involves removing personal details like names, gender, and educational background from resumes during the initial screening process. This forces hiring teams to focus solely on skills and experience.
5. Measure and Track Diversity Metrics:
   Regularly measuring diversity metrics and tracking progress can help companies ensure they are actively working to reduce bias in hiring. This can also help identify areas where additional improvements or interventions are needed.

Conclusion: Combatting Unconscious Bias to Build a More Diverse Workforce

Unconscious bias in hiring can severely limit the diversity of your workforce, leading to missed opportunities for innovation and growth. In industries like mining and manufacturing, where diverse perspectives are essential for tackling complex challenges, addressing unconscious bias is not just a moral imperative but a business one. By recognizing and mitigating these common types of bias—affinity bias, gender bias, confirmation bias, the halo effect, and stereotyping—employers can create a more inclusive, fair, and effective hiring process.

At TPD, we specialize in helping companies in the mining and manufacturing sectors build diverse and inclusive teams. Contact us today to learn how we can support your recruitment efforts and create a bias-free hiring process.