Why gut instinct isn’t enough in interviews and what works better

I know good when I see it …

Sometimes when working with companies on their interviewing processes I hear a version of this from a member of the SLT.

“This structured interviewing is all fine and good but I’ve been doing this a long time. My initial gut feeling is usually right – I don’t need to ask them all these questions for 40 minutes”

To be honest the first time I heard this I was a bit stumped and not sure how to react. I was just starting a 4 hour workshop on why structured interviews were the way to hire and this comment wasn’t exactly helping!

But since then I’ve learned that the best way to deal with it is to agree with the doubters …to a point!

What gut feeling really tells you

Now I would say something like this:

Yes, given your experience you are likely to be very good at judging people. You can tell who sounds confident, who you click with and who makes you feel like you can trust them to do a great job. That’s useful, but it’s just not the same as knowing how someone will perform in a role six months from now.

I’m not a neuroscientist but here’s what’s going on in your brain when this happens.

How bias quietly enters the interview

Gut feeling kicks in early and it’s pretty hardwired. Once it’s there, it quietly takes over the interview.

You ask nicer questions.
You ease off on the probing.
You explain away weak answers.

Or you do the opposite and suddenly become very forensic or slightly dismissive with someone you’re less convinced by.

None of this feels biased in the moment. It feels like experience….. “I’ve been down this road before….”

The real limitation of instinct

The problem is that gut feeling is brilliant at spotting patterns from the past and not good at questioning whether those patterns will work the role you are interviewing for.

Especially as organisations change, roles evolve and “what good looks like” shifts.

What structured interviews actually do

A structured interview doesn’t tell you what to think. It just forces you to slow down long enough to separate what you noticed from what you’re concluding.

We always remind interviewers that during the interview that while of course they are doing both simultaneously, they should be PRIMARILY gathering information not assessing the candidate.

You can assess them after the interview and make your decision.

You don’t need to abandon your gut feeling but instead put it to the test using a structured interview framework.

How Hilt supports fairer hiring decisions

At Hilt, we work with organisations to reduce the noise of bias by bringing structure into interviews, so that you can make solid hiring decisions. Learn how Hilt Unconscious Bias can strengthen your recruitment practices