The 'Halo Effect', according to Wikipedia, “is the tendency for positive impressions of a person, company, brand or product in one area to positively influence one's opinion or decision”. Simply put, it is the way people subconsciously form biases towards others who are similar to them.
In an HR context, it could mean that hiring managers or interviewers may tend to favor or give positive assessments to interviewees who are similar to them, who they believe will likely cooperate with them, based on values, hobbies, behaviours, attitudes, looks, gender, or even race. While the Halo Effect is not intentional, people are genetically programmed to value similarity and fear difference or unfamiliarity, and so, it is easy to form subconscious biases towards candidates who they may end up hiring, instead of candidates who best fit the job.
Several steps can be taken to avoid unintentionally falling into the Halo Effect.
1. Have more than one person reviewing CVs and conducting interviews
When conducting the interview, at least two individuals should be on the hiring panel. With more than one interviewer present, it allows the interview to be more thorough, Discussions of the interviewed candidate should be avoided until all candidates have been interviewed to avoid influence and bias.
2. Score rubrics
Each person on the hiring panel should have a scoring rubric or rating system to help them objectively evaluate a candidate’s answer to interview questions. The rating system could cover various criteria, including experience, job-fit, industry knowledge, and an overall rating score. It is important to keep the scores and ratings given a secret until after all viable candidates have been interviewed.
3. Multiple-step interview processes
Having two to three interviews with different people in the hiring panel will greatly reduce falling to the Halo Effect. By involving multiple individuals in the hiring panel, it provides the candidate with a more fair and accurate assessment, and offers the company a better assessment of the candidates.
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