Here’s the thing when hiring managers call me back to say they want to hire someone, They usually lead with …

“I really liked her.”
“Oh my God, we loved her.”
“I liked him, he was just so… you know…

Like. Love. That’s the language. Emotional adjectives.

And the truth is, most hiring decisions are emotional.

In the end, you don’t buy a car because you spent hours poring over fuel efficiency charts or comparing horsepower stats. You bought it because you liked it. Sure, those other things are on the periphery. Sure, it looks the part. But at the end of the day, it just felt right.

Hiring’s often the same.

The Bias We All Have

When I speak to employers, I usually start with:

Most hiring decisions are made within the first few minutes. It’s human nature. We’re wired to make snap judgments, it’s how our brains have helped us survive!

The rest of the interview? That’s often just time spent gathering reasons to back up that initial gut feeling. Confirmation bias.

We decide early, then spend the rest of the time convincing ourselves we were right.

But what does that look like?
“I like this person, and now I’m going to keep finding reasons to keep liking them.”

And let’s be honest that’s not much of a hiring strategy.

A Better Way to Do It

So, what’s the alternative?

Hold back.
Reserve judgement.
Don’t make the call in the first few minutes. Not even in the first ten.

Instead, run through a structured set of questions, the same ones for every candidate. Agree them in advance with everyone involved in the process (weeding out differences of opinion).

That’s how you shift from gut feel to something much more useful.

And those questions? They should be competency based.

They should arrive from having a clear view of what success in the role months down the line looks like. What will the person needs to do to get there – and from that what competencies will be required.

Hiring Better, On Purpose

You don’t need to throw instincts out the window, just make sure they’re not driving the whole thing. A solid structure, better questions, and a bit of discipline.

That’s what I suggest employers build into their process.

And if a company’s happy sticking with what they’ve always done, fair enough. It’s their call.

But if you’re up for doing things a little more intentionally … then you’re probably a step closer to building a team that works, not just one that got on well in the interview.