Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA
Business Plan Writer & Financial Projections
How Do You Avoid Hiring Bias in a Small Business?
The Candidate You Like Best Is Not Always the Best Candidate.
You interview three people and one just feels right. Easy to talk to, a lot like you, maybe someone you already know. You hire them. A month later, customers are waiting longer and quietly going elsewhere. Business consultant Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA, shows you how to judge candidates by the job, not the feeling.
Last Updated: 11/08/2026 · Written by Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA
The Definition
What Does Hiring Bias Mean?
Short Answer
Hiring bias happens when something besides job performance drives the choice: a candidate who seems like you, someone you simply enjoy, or a single standout trait that makes you overlook everything else. Common forms include similar-to-me bias and the halo effect. Setting the standard before the first interview, plus an independent second scorer, keeps every candidate on equal footing.
Fair hiring = criteria written first + score the work, not the person + a second scorer
Doctor Owl, in Plain English
“You did not hire a barber. You hired a cousin. Set the bar on paper first, and get a second opinion on the score.”
How This Guide Works
Need the answer fast? Read the Short Answer above and the numbered steps. Want the full picture? Follow Steve, a monkey with a barbershop from Dr. Paul’s Fabled Forest Business School Series, as he hires his cousin over a better barber. His story shows up in a few short gold notes along the way. The math sits in one section, clearly marked.
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Meet Steve: A Monkey Who Hired His Cousin
Some lessons stick better as a story. Dr. Paul’s Fabled Forest Business School Series teaches business through a forest full of small business owners. Doctor Owl, a dry-witted consultant who lives in the Lone Oak, helps them fix the same problems real owners face.
Today he stops at Swing Shift, the barbershop run by Startup Steve, a monkey. Steve needed a Saturday barber for the second chair. He tried two candidates: Sorrel, a quiet hedgehog from the coast market, and his own cousin, a cheerful young monkey who tells great stories. Steve went with his cousin. The tally of trims in the window has been slipping ever since.
Why It Matters
What Makes Owners Hire the Wrong Person?
Owners hire on feeling more often than they realize. We relax around people who share our habits. We warm to people who laugh at our jokes or know someone we know. And one impressive moment, a great story or a strong resume line, can make us assume the rest is strong too.
None of this makes an owner a bad person. It makes them a person. But it means the best candidate for the job can lose to the most likable one. That is hiring bias, and in a small team, one wrong hire shows up in the numbers quickly.
In the Fabled Forest
Steve’s cousin chatted his way through every trim, slowly. Sorrel had cut fast and cleanly, and her customers left looking pleased. She just did not say much, laugh at Steve’s jokes, or know anyone he knew. The weekly trim tally dropped from 41 to 37.
The Usual Suspects
What Kinds of Hiring Bias Should Owners Watch For?
- Similar-to-me bias. Favoring candidates who share your background, humor, or style.
- The halo effect. One standout quality colors everything else.
- Familiarity. Hiring family or friends because trust is already there, even when the job needs something else.
- First impressions. Deciding in the first few minutes and spending the rest of the interview confirming it.
- The fix for all of them. Write the criteria before you meet anyone. A structured interview helps.
In the Fabled Forest
Doctor Owl asked what the trial was actually testing. The Saturday chair, Steve admitted. And who did that job better? Sorrel, no contest.
The Fix
How Do You Remove Bias From a Small Business Hiring Process?
Before the first interview, write down three or four things a good hire must do in the job, in terms you can see and score. Then run every candidate through the same trial or questions, and score the work they produce, not how you feel about them.
Ask a second person to score on their own, with no comparing until both are finished. If the two scores disagree, talk about why. Two independent scores catch the bias one person cannot see in themselves.
In the Fabled Forest
Steve’s criteria came down to three: trim speed, a neat finish without nicks, and a warm goodbye when customers pay. In Sorrel’s second trial, Steve and Clementine, who runs his till, each scored separately. Both sheets said three out of three. Clementine added one word: finally.
The Numbers
What Did the Wrong Hire Cost?
Here is the barbershop’s weekly trim tally, before and after the hiring fix.
| Period | Trims this week | Saturday line |
|---|---|---|
| Midsummer, before the cousin | 41 | Normal |
| With the cousin in the second chair | 37 | Long |
| A month after hiring Sorrel | 41 | Two or three waiting |
Step 1: The drop. 41 − 37 = 4 fewer trims a week, about 10 percent of the shop’s volume.
Step 2: The hidden cost. Regulars waited longer, and some stretched the time between visits. One old customer went from every five weeks back to every four once the line got shorter.
Step 3: Your version. Compare output per week before and after your last hire. If it dropped, review how you chose, not just who.
Illustrative numbers from the book. Use your own weekly output.
Step by Step
How Do You Hire Without Bias Step by Step?
Four steps for your next hire.
Write the criteria first.
Three or four things the person must do in the job, written before you meet anyone.
Use the same trial or questions for everyone.
Same task, same time, same setting. See behavioral interview questions.
Score the work, not the person.
Look at what they produced against each criterion.
Add a second scorer.
Score separately, then compare. Talk through any big differences.
In the Fabled Forest
Doctor Owl’s scroll for Steve boiled the lesson down to two habits: set the standard before candidates arrive, and never be the only scorer.
Steve’s Full Story
How Did Steve Tell His Cousin?
This page gives you the short version. The book gives you the whole Saturday: the trim tally in the window, an old porcupine who knew a good haircut, a short list scribbled on the back of a receipt, a second trial, and the talk outside the shop after closing that went better than Steve expected.
Every chapter of Human Resources for Small Businesses works the same way. One owner, one problem, one real idea you can use on Monday, plus a one-page worksheet to do it.
A Business Consultant’s View
What Does Dr. Paul Change First in a Biased Hiring Process?
Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA · Business Consultant
When Dr. Paul reviews an owner’s hiring process, he changes the order first. Most owners interview, form an impression, and then decide what they were looking for. He has them write three or four job-specific criteria before any candidate walks in, then score each candidate against those criteria during a short work trial or structured interview. A second scorer, often a trusted employee, scores separately. The owner still makes the final call. The difference is that the call is now about the job. Owners are usually surprised how often their first choice changes once the criteria come first.
FAQ
Still Have Questions About Fair Hiring?
What is hiring bias?
How can a small business reduce hiring bias?
Is it a mistake to hire friends or family?
Keep Going
Want to Go Deeper on Choosing the Right Person?
This is foundation 3 of 20. These pages build on it. New to a term on this page? Every one is in the human resources glossary.
Written by Dr. Paul Borosky, DBA, MBA, business consultant and author with 14+ years of experience and 1,000+ clients served. Hiring, paying, or managing a team and want a second set of eyes? See business consulting and prices.
This page is for general educational purposes only. It is not legal, financial, employment, or other professional advice. Figures are illustrations. The Fabled Forest and its characters are fictional. For decisions about your own business, consult a qualified professional.