Angelee is sitting in Pat’s office, the HR lead. Pat enters and after the usual pleasantries, Angelee expresses concerns she has about some interviews in which she participated. She explains to Pat that she felt the candidates did not have a chance to fully summarize their qualifications because David cut them off.
“I had other questions I wanted to ask, but before I could ask them, David ended the interview! The candidates felt exactly right for the open position, but David seemed to have some issue with each of them!”
“Can you explain more fully what was said? Perhaps David knew they were not qualified for the role based upon the answers to the questions he asked.”
Angelee shook her head. “I don’t think so, Pat. The first candidate, Kwame Nyong, seemed to make David uncomfortable right from the start. David kept focusing on the pronunciation of Kwame’s name. And before I could ask some follow up questions, Kwame’s children accidentally came into the room and showed up in the video background. Kwame handled the situation quite well, I thought, and was very professional. He explained that he’s a single dad and that they are all home because of the pandemic. No sooner did he say that when David just ended the interview!”
“How did the interview end? Was David rude?”
Angelee struggles, “I guess not really... but he was so abrupt. When I told David, I wanted to ask other questions, he just said that Kwame would not be “a good fit,” -- whatever that’s supposed to mean. He also made a comment to me about Kwame’s children being an impediment to his success in the position. And I think Kwame might have heard him!”
“I see. That’s unfortunate. What about the other candidate? What was the issue there?”
“The second candidate, Judy Steinberg, looked like an older woman to me. David seemed to focus on that. He told Judy that we have “evolving technology” and wanted to know if she picked up new skills quickly. He also intimated that she wouldn’t be a long-term employee, saying something about not wanting to “invest” in someone who wouldn’t hang around.” Angelee stopped for a moment, took a deep breath, and then continued, “Later he told me that he didn’t think Kwame was right because he’s a single dad and that Judy would probably retire soon, and it would be a waste of time to bring her onboard.”
Angelee looked up at Pat . “I think these candidates seemed qualified and are just what we need here. I think David dismissed them for issues that have nothing to do with how they would perform in the position.”
“Let me consider what you’ve said,” Pat replied to Angelee. “Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I appreciate your commitment to helping us find a good replacement manager for the team.”
Key considerations:
Be open to receiving feedback. Encourage your employees to bring forward concerns about co-worker actions that do not align with your company values or company culture. See those concerns as opportunities to train and strengthen the organization – not exclusively as a problem to investigate so someone can be disciplined.
Consider re-training your hiring managers on appropriate interviewing skills on a regular cadence.
Want additional resources to learn more about the concept of unconscious bias in the workplace or other topics discussed in this path?
⚙ Are you a TriNet customer? Learn about DEI Training, click here
⚙ If you are a small to medium-size business interested in learning more about how TriNet can help with talent recruitment, please reach out.
⚙ Read about best practices in hiring from this TriNet blog post
⚙ Learn ways to reduce unconscious bias in the workplace through this insightful blog post
📖 Read a glossary of bias terms compiled here
Legal disclaimer: Resources provided in this story is for informational purposes only; it is not legal, tax or accounting advice. This story may contain hyperlinks to websites operated by parties other than TriNet. Such hyperlinks are provided for reference only. TriNet does not control such websites and is not responsible for their content. Inclusion of such hyperlinks on this site does not necessarily imply any endorsement of the material on such websites or association with their operators.
Lift yourself up!
Every day is a new beginning and an opportunity to Rise. Join us for inspiring stories, tools, and tips from real people - all delivered right to your inbox.