Professional in Human Resources (PHR) Practice Exam

What does the term 'interview bias' refer to?

1. Disregarding the resume during interviews

2. Focusing too much on technical skills

3. Allowing personal opinions to influence evaluations

4. Applying strict timing criteria to all candidates

The correct answer is: Allowing personal opinions to influence evaluations

The term 'interview bias' refers to the tendency of interviewers to allow personal opinions, feelings, or subjective judgments to influence their evaluations of candidates. This type of bias can manifest in various ways, such as favoritism towards candidates who share similar backgrounds or interests with the interviewer or making assumptions based on stereotypes. Interview bias undermines the fairness and objectivity of the hiring process, resulting in potentially overlooking the most qualified candidates or making decisions that are not based on merit. In contrast, disregarding the resume, focusing too much on technical skills, or applying strict timing criteria to all candidates do not inherently represent interview bias. Disregarding a resume may lead to overlooked qualifications, an overemphasis on technical skills could ignore valuable soft skills, and applying timing criteria ensures that all candidates are treated equally in terms of interview duration, but none of these directly relates to allowing personal subjectivity to shape evaluations as interview bias does.