Studies of job interviews find that interviewers often make hiring decisions within the first few minutes, then spend the remaining time seeking confirmation of their initial impression. Candidates who make poor first impressions rarely recover, while those who make strong positive impressions are evaluated more charitably for later mistakes. Structured interviews with predetermined questions reduce this bias somewhat.
It can be inferred from the text that
job interviews perfectly assess candidate qualifications
first impressions have no effect on hiring decisions
candidates who make mistakes are always rejected
standard interview practices may be influenced by cognitive biases rather than pure merit evaluation
Correct Answer: D
Choice D is the best answer. Decisions are made quickly and then confirmed, not objectively assessed.
- Context clues: Decisions in "first few minutes"; remainder spent "seeking confirmation"; structured interviews "reduce this bias."
- Meaning: The process reflects confirmation bias more than pure merit assessment.
- Verify: Same mistakes judged differently based on first impression shows bias.
💡 Strategy: When a process is described as deviating from objective evaluation, infer the presence of bias.
Choice A is incorrect because the interview process shows significant bias. Choice B is incorrect because first impressions largely determine outcomes. Choice C is incorrect because mistakes are "evaluated more charitably" if first impression was positive.