Almost no product development is possible without communication with our partners and suppliers. Starting from 2008 Iwork with people helping my companies or my employers collaborate with companies and individuals who can bring additional value to our products or help us to innovate, make better or simply make things work how we want them to.
I know that the way how I approach and present my small or medium size business is something crucial for the first contact with people. So, it is something I need to prepare and elaborate through a few calls and meetings, because a need to find proper and correct words which will resonate in people’s minds and they agree to spend time on working with your firm with a product under development.
I found that for many mid-size organisations it is the same difficult to accept an offer to work with start up the same way as for large organisations, but I always remember that every business needs customers and if your story sounds logical, reasonable and real — my experience shows that they will help and support you in your activities.
This is only small part of what I want to share with you about a psychology in business. Honestly, I love this topic so much and very happy to share and have a conversation with all of you about it.
How I Realized Cognitive Biases Were Sabotaging My Hiring Process
At one point, we were struggling to fill a senior position on my team. We had interviewed a lot of candidates, but something wasn’t clicking. It took me a while to figure out why - it wasn’t the candidates; it was us. Our biases were creeping into every decision we made, and we didn’t even realize it. Read our article about avoiding biases in talent acquisition.
The Halo Effect and Confirmation Bias - How I Fell Into the Trap
There was this one candidate who really stood out. They had a polished resume and carried themselves with a ton of confidence. Instantly, I was sold on them. But after stepping back, I realized I had fallen for the halo effect—that first great impression made me overlook the areas where they actually weren’t that strong.
Then there was the confirmation bias. We’d ask questions that confirmed what we already believed about candidates instead of digging deeper or challenging our assumptions. It hit me hard when I realized that some of the strongest candidates may have slipped through because of these blind spots. Read our article about Hiring the Whole Person: How Emotional Wellness is Redefining Talent Acquisition
Changing the Way We Hire: What Worked for Me
I knew something had to change, so we started with blind resume screening. We took out names, ages, and other details that could distract us from what really mattered—skills and experience. This instantly changed the way we viewed candidates and helped remove some of the bias right from the start. Read our article: Hiring with Integrity: How Avoiding Jerks Builds Stronger Teams
Next, we moved to structured interviews. Instead of free-flowing conversations, we stuck to the same set of questions for every candidate. It wasn’t the most exciting approach, but it made sure we were comparing apples to apples. Read our article about our experience working with Competency Assessment Platforms.
Bringing in Different Perspectives
Another thing I did was to create diverse interview panels. Having different perspectives in the room helped balance things out. If one person was really sold on a candidate, someone else could challenge it or offer a different point of view. It kept us from making decisions based on just one person’s gut feeling.
These small changes made a big impact on our hiring. Sure, it wasn’t perfect, but just being more aware of how these biases were influencing us made us better at spotting true talent. It’s something I’m continually working on, and it’s made me more mindful as a leader.
UnitiQ's Fractional HR Services: Flexible Talent Acquisition and Strategic Support
UnitiQ specializes in Fractional HR Services, offering on-demand access to HR expertise for businesses that need support without committing to full-time hires. Their services cover a broad range of HR needs, including talent acquisition, HR operations, and people strategy.
UnitiQ's flexible approach allows companies to scale HR efforts as needed, ensuring cost-effective solutions. Their team provides a fresh, external perspective to help improve company culture, engagement, and compliance. They also bring in industry-specific experts to assist in interviews, ensuring the right candidates are selected to match both the skills and values required by the company.
Their focus on tailored, value-driven hiring strategies ensures that businesses not only find qualified professionals but also those who align with the organization's culture. Additionally, UnitiQ provides a single point of contact for seamless communication, making collaboration straightforward and efficient.
We are happy to help you with Talent Acquisition and HR tasks, please contact me, Olga Fedoseeva, Fonder at UnitiQ, directly: My Telegram My LinkedIn