Don’t make a yes/no decision during the one-on-one interview. Instead, use the interview to collect information on the assigned areas, not to vote. By narrowing the focus, objectivity naturally increases, ensuring all of the information colleted is of equal value. Too many interviewers go out of their way to use the interview to collect information that confirms their initial assessment. This is called the decide and collect approach, and it’s the primary cause of hiring mistakes.

Don’t let anyone have full voting rights. Most hiring errors are caused by making yes/no hiring decisions too quickly based on a narrow range of factors. To obtain a balanced viewpoint, solicit the collective advice of the hiring team, then discuss each of the 10 factors.

Disallow gut feelings and intuition. To obtain unbiased information, each interviewer must justify his 1 to 5 ranking with facts, examples, and details, good or bad. “I don’t think the person would fit,” is inappropriate. However, a comment like “the environment, pace, available resources, and the lack of a formal decision-making process at the person’s past two companies is a clear indication that the person would not survive here,” is certainly sufficient.

Encourage alternative points of view. Force controversy and disagreement during the debriefing session. You don’t need to force consensus. Support people who have evidence that is contrary to most people’s assessments. Make this a formal part of the process. Good or bad, this will allow all viewpoints to be heard.

Make a “no” harder to justify than a “yes.” A “no” is safe and easy. It encourages laziness, and it rewards interviewers who are weak or unprepared. To eliminate this potential problem, demand more detailed information and evidence from those invoking the “no.” A “no” is okay as long as it’s based on factual information. Too often, it’s based on weak interviewing.