Do I like or not like this person for some reason?

Whatever the reasons may be, we just find it easier to talk to and engage with some people better than others. However, both liking someone or not liking them can affect the quality of the information collected during the interview.

If we like someone, it’s easy to develop a rapport and be comfortable in their company – but this also means we might also subconsciously favor them. This can be due to fundamental attribution error, through which we place more emphasis and value on personality than on situational or environmental factors when evaluating people’s behavior or what they say. So if we like someone, we tend to value their information more highly than someone else’s, simply because we think that they are more honest because they are likeable, and we place more emphasis on the likeability than any fundamental honesty. It’s a loop in our thinking. An interesting counter to this is that when you become aware of this bias, you may overcompensate and give their information less value to try to avoid any conflict.

If we don’t like someone, we can consider them more untrustworthy and thus devalue or dismiss their information contributions. In all regards, this challenge can impact the collection of good information.

The ‘likeability factor’ can also influence the conduct of the interview. For example, we may be more hostile to someone we don’t like but be gentler with someone we do. Both can lead to poor information collection and a lack of rigor in the process. Hostility can lead to the interviewee withholding information or reframing it to avoid perceived blame. A softer approach can fail to dig into uncomfortable or challenging issues, and thus miss deeper learnings.

Suggested actions:

For Interviewers

• Acknowledge whether you like or don’t like this person and be mindful that it matters.
• Acknowledge that you are vulnerable to Fundamental Attribution Error.
• If you need to, take a short break to regroup and refocus on delivering an impartial and professional interview.
• Invite a colleague into the interview with you to get a 3rd party perspective.
• If that’s not possible, capture as much detail as you can so a colleague can provide a second opinion later on.
• Write down and record your situation, and you should always note any existing relationships as part of professional due diligence.

For Managers

• Be flexible in your resourcing and ensure enough headroom in scheduling to allow colleagues to support each other as necessary.
• Allow for flexibility in the process and for people to take time out as needed.

Find out more about fundamental attribution error and how it can affect you here.