Using Standardized Assessment Tools to Prevent Bias When Reviewing Candidates

But what about more ambiguous evaluation categories to determine whether that candidate will succeed within this particular organization?  This area is a slippery slope.  Many employers use the word “fit” and want to know whether a candidate will “fit in” to workplace culture.  However, “fit” is a dangerous concept that can lead toward bias...does this candidate look, sound, or act like us?  Far better is the use of standardized assessment tools, of which there are dozens to measure things like style of leadership, approach to decision-making, and willingness to collaborate, among others.  Assessment tools can feel cold or impersonal, but ironically that is exactly what they should be: unbiased, standardized systems to analyze how someone might approach various work tasks.  And finally, they are by far most powerful when your organization has already used them within various leadership or workplace teams.