Group Interviews: How to Avoid Consensus Hiring

From my experience in building high-performing teams and guiding organizations through change management, consensus hiring is a risky approach. Many businesses use large groups of five or six people to interview and decide on candidates, believing this method ensures better hires. However, while this approach has benefits, it also carries significant risks.

The Challenges with Consensus Hiring

Group interviews are popular because they seem to offer a thorough vetting process. The idea is that multiple perspectives can better gauge a candidate's fit. However, group hiring often morphs into consensus hiring, which can be problematic. When too many people need to agree, the process tends to favor candidates who are likable and non-disruptive, not necessarily those who are the best fit for driving the business forward.

The Extremes of Consensus Hiring?

Some companies take consensus hiring to an extreme. For instance, I know someone who had to interview in front of a 25-person panel for a simple airline check-in job. This excessive group hiring is unlikely to identify truly exceptional candidates and instead can lead to hiring decisions based on the lowest common denominator.

The Drawbacks of Consensus Hiring

Large group interviews often end up selecting the most agreeable candidate rather than the one who can truly push the company forward. Ask yourself: “When did group consensus ever deliver real greatness?” Collaboration is different from consensus. Effective collaboration fosters innovation, but consensus can stifle it.

Making Group Interviews Work

Despite the challenges, group interviews can be effective if done correctly. Here are two tips to avoid the pitfalls of consensus hiring:

Control Confirmation Bias

Confirmation bias occurs when people interpret information in a way that confirms their preconceptions. In group hiring, this bias can be triggered when a boss or recruiter shares their opinion about a candidate before others have had a chance to interview them. To combat this, discuss confirmation bias openly with your team and create policies to minimize its impact. For example, ensure team members don’t discuss a candidate until everyone has interviewed them.

Contain Conformity

Conformity is when people go along with the group even if they disagree. In group hiring, this can lead to safe, non-controversial hires. To avoid this, encourage independent thought by having each interviewer submit their assessment separately. This way, the hiring manager can follow up individually, rather than in a group setting, to get a clearer picture of each candidate.

Group hiring is common and has its benefits, but it can also lead to problems if not managed carefully. By controlling confirmation bias, containing conformity, and establishing a common evaluation framework, you can avoid the risks of consensus hiring and make the most of group interviews. This approach ensures that your team will choose candidates who are not just agreeable, but truly capable of driving your company forward.

Let me know your thoughts.