Avoiding Bias in Recruitment: How to Hire Fairly and Inclusively

Recruitment decisions shape the future of an organisation. Every hire influences team dynamics, productivity, and long-term success. Yet, unconscious bias can creep in, often subtly, affecting who gets shortlisted, interviewed, and ultimately hired.

We work with clients to implement recruitment processes that are fair, objective, and structured helping organisations hire the best talent while promoting diversity and inclusion, but what if you are not working with us or have any internal talent member focusing on this as a matter? Here’s how hiring managers can proactively recognise and aim to reduce bias in recruitment.

Recognise the Impact of Unconscious Bias

Bias is not always intentional. It can manifest in small ways: favouring candidates with similar backgrounds, being influenced by names or universities, or making assumptions based on gender or appearance.

The first step is awareness. Educate yourself and your hiring team about common cognitive biases, such as:

• Affinity bias – preferring candidates who are similar to ourselves.

• Confirmation bias – interpreting information to support a preconceived opinion.

• Halo effect – allowing one positive trait to overshadow other considerations.

Spotting them is the hardest part but acknowledging these tendencies allows you to take deliberate action to counteract them.

Craft Inclusive Job Descriptions

The way a role is described can unintentionally discourage qualified candidates from applying. Use clear, neutral language, and focus on essential skills rather than unnecessary “nice-to-haves.”

Practical tips:

• Avoid gender-coded language that may influence applicant self-selection.

• Emphasise diversity, inclusion, and flexibility where possible.

• List qualifications and competencies that truly matter to the role, not arbitrary criteria.

Inclusive job descriptions broaden your talent pool and encourage diverse candidates to apply. There is a widely used statistic that floats over the internet where men will apply to a role where they qualify for just 60% of a job opening whereas women will only apply if they feel they meet 100%

Implement Structured Interviews

Structured interviews are a powerful tool to reduce subjectivity. Rather than improvising questions, use a standardised framework where every candidate is asked the same core questions and assessed against predefined criteria.

Benefits include:

• Ensuring fair evaluation across candidates.

• Providing clear evidence for hiring decisions.

• Minimising the influence of gut feelings or first impressions.

Behavioural and competency-based questions, scored with consistent rubrics, are particularly effective in highlighting potential without bias.

Use Objective Assessment Tools

Skills assessments, work samples, and psychometric tests provide tangible evidence of a candidate’s ability to perform in the role. These tools complement interviews and reduce reliance on subjective impressions.

Key considerations:

• Ensure assessments are role-relevant and validated.

• Apply scoring consistently for every candidate.

• Use results as one part of a holistic decision-making process.

Build Awareness into the Hiring Process

Bias reduction isn’t a one-off exercise; it’s embedded into every stage of recruitment. Include bias awareness in training for interviewers, review shortlists for diversity, and encourage open discussion about potential blind spots within your hiring team.

Avoiding bias in recruitment is not just about compliance, it’s about building stronger, more diverse, and higher-performing teams. By recognising unconscious biases, crafting inclusive job descriptions, implementing structured interviews, and leveraging objective assessments, hiring managers can make fairer, smarter hiring decisions.

At Peritus Partners, we guide organisations in designing recruitment strategies that prioritise both talent quality and inclusion.  

When bias is actively managed, every hire becomes an opportunity to strengthen the organisation and its culture.

Get in touch today to make your recruitment process smarter, fairer, and more effective.