Halo Effect (in hiring)

Intermediate 👥 Human Resources

Definition

Cognitive bias where initial impressions (usually positive) disproportionately influence overall assessment. It's why attractive, charismatic candidates often get hired regardless of actual qualifications.

Example Usage

During interviews, the candidate who went to Stanford and had impeccable presentation skills got hired despite technical skills being weaker than other candidates.

Origin

Psychological concept identified by Edward Thorndike in 1920; applied to hiring in 1980s HR research.

Fun Fact

The halo effect increases interview bias by up to 40%, making structured interviews with standardized questions 50% more predictive.

Source: Hiring and Organizational Psychology

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