Having explored the potential impact of the human factor, we can now develop and implement longer-term strategies to pre-empt and prevent human biases, for example:

• ensure all interview candidates are provided with a job description and a brief set of job criteria several days before the interview
• set a timeframe for the interview and state what it is at the outset
• structure the opening and closing of the interview and adhere to a formal process throughout
• explain at the outset that candidates will be assessed on relevant skill, experience, qualifications and aptitude, the evidence of which may be drawn from previous paid or unpaid work, or other activities
• ensure one person on the interview panel does not work in the environment and aim for a gender balance
• use behavioural questions as the best indicator of future behaviour is past behaviour
• avoid hypothetical questions as the answers will be speculative and people who are good at profiling themselves will excel, compared to others who may be just as skilled in reality
• avoid leading questions as they inform the candidate about what it is the interviewer wants to hear
• ensure all staff involved in recruitment have undertaken recruitment-specific EO training. This provides an analysis of what can go wrong, and how the recruitment process can activate and foster gender bias.

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