Hiring Decisions: Gut Feel or Evidence?

"Most hiring decisions are made on gut feel dressed up as process."

A controversial statement perhaps?

Or perhaps not...

There is often a well-constructed job description, a competency-based interview, a technical assessment. Then comes the actual hiring decision.

Here is where we need to be completely honest.

The foundations of the hiring decision can start to form within the first ten minutes or so of the interview. Based on which candidate gives the most favourable first impressions.

This is not entirely irrational; First impressions can have a significant impact on us and the decisions we make.

But we run the risk of significant levels of unconscious bias coming in to play if we do not apply a greater level of objectivity to the selection process.

Truth is that our first impressions can be quite a poor predictor of how someone will perform in a role. Even if we think our judgement of people is sound...

In sectors where headcount is coming under increasing pressure, such as energy or sectors more impacted by the rapid advance of AI, the cost of a poor hiring decision can be magnified:

Fewer people to absorb the impact of someone not working out.

Cost of re-hiring on an already tight budget.

Time lost.

Operational disruption...

The list goes on.

The process of replacing a bad hire can be both expensive and very disruptive.

Here is the thing.

Psychometric assessments are not meant to take the place of human judgment.

What they do provide is greater objectivity.

And that, quite simply, can help you make better hiring decisions.

Especially at the critical point where objectivity can be harder to maintain.

(I really liked the candidate them and we really need to hire someone....like NOW!)

Selecting the right assessment can often help identify aspects about a candidate that may not emerge from even the best managed, structured, competency-based interview process.

In thirty plus years or working in recruitment, seeing thousands of hiring decisions being made, the ones that have typically gone wrong are often where gut instinct overruled logic and objectivity. The heart often does rule the head...

Want to find out how Psychometrics could help you make more objective, smarter hiring decisions?