In this webinar, Charlotte Melkert and Leonie Grandpierre, Equalture’s resident neuroscientist share insights into the dangers of using CVs and the science behind job performance predictors.
CVs are still commonplace and might appear like an easy way for applicants to showcase their skills and experience. But they are a breeding ground for bias and a shaky foundation for the right hiring decisions.
CVs contain plenty of information about the candidates work experience, education, personality and other skills. And while we generally assume that this information gives us a good indication of the candidates future job performance, research disagrees. The 100 year meta-analysis of research into predictors of job performance by Schmidt F. L., (2016), shows that there is a very low correlation between job performance and work experience or even education.
Furthermore, information on a CV, whether relevant or irrelevant to the job, triggers all different kinds of biases, such as the affinity/similarity bias, stereotyping bias, and the halo or horns effect. These biases lead us to reject or advance candidates in the process based on assumptions. Cognitive or unconscious biases are our brain taking shortcuts to make decisions or fill in missing information, which leads us to connect unrelated information and attach meaning to it.
Want to find out more about common misconceptions and the dangers of CVs? Click on the video below to watch the webinar!
Main takeaways
After this webinar you will know:
- The two main risks of CV-based screening: low predictability and unconscious bias
- Why work experience and education don’t predict job performance
- What cognitive bias is
- Which biases are most prominent in relation to CV-screening
