Are you a judgmental recruiter?

With so many potential employees applying for each position as unemployment rises, it’s only natural to be even more stringent in choosing the right people to hire. But are you judging on appearances when you should be looking below the surface?

According to a recent survey, almost three-quarters of interviews are lost within three minutes of entering the room. Of course, how someone presents themselves is very important, especially in a client-facing role, but British bosses are reportedly making decisions about candidates based purely on their handshake or eye contact (25 percent), body language (24 percent) or presence and posture during an interview (18 percent).  

The report comes from the posture-correcting footwear company, MBT, who are keen to stress that candidates with better posture are more likely to secure a job. Employees with better posture, it is claimed, are likely to be healthier, have better concentration and suffer less with musculoskeletal problems.

But is three minutes enough time to judge someone’s aptitude for a job? HR must ensure when they are involved in the recruitment process that all candidates are considered on merit. The likelihood of a boss judging a candidate on sight varies across the country, according to the report. Those in Yorkshire and Birmingham said one in ten would make a decision on a candidate immediately, whereas Welsh recruiters and those in Leicester claimed to be the most lenient, with one in ten waiting until the very end of an interview to make a decision.

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