How hidden bias can stop you getting a job

How hidden bias can stop you getting a job Getty Images Today, there are few arguments that can be made against having a diverse, multicultural workforce. Alamy Job descriptions with ‘male-typed’ words like “ninja” are less likely to attract female candidates “It turns out that language is gendered,” says Uotila. Some people say they have no bias against anything, and that’s laughable - Faye Cocchiara “We can also determine someone’s class by the way someone speaks,” Cocchiara says. I’d rather someone say I have these biases, but I understand them and don’t act on them.” Getty Images A UK study found overweight people were considered lazy and less intelligent, and this bias affected their job prospects First impressions Of course, at some point, selected candidates will come into the office for a face-to-face interview. Some people say they have no bias against anything, and that’s laughable - Faye Cocchiara “What we saw was that suitability of participants was lower for people applying that were obese, versus people who were normal weight or whose weight wasn’t revealed,” says Stuart Flint, senior research fellow in public health and obesity at Leeds Beckett University and an author on the study.