What is affinity bias and how to avoid it in 2025? Examples

Humans love finding similarities with others. It excites us when we learn that someone else went to the same school or from the same locality. We immediately start liking that person. Though it’s normal, in hiring, this could cause serious issues. This is called affinity bias. 

Did you know that 85% of hiring managers admit to making decisions based on gut feelings? Such bias prevents any chance of diversity and creates a homogenous work environment. 

So, how do we address this silent barrier to fair hiring? Let’s explore.

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What is affinity bias?

Affinity bias, or similarity bias, occurs when people unconsciously favor others because they are similar to us or others we like. This bias can happen because of similar interests and backgrounds, such as hobbies, culture, or past experiences. 

We don’t always realize we’re doing it, but it can influence how we make decisions or treat others. This bias can affect hiring and team-building; we might unknowingly prefer someone who seems more like us.

This form of implicit or unconscious bias is an automatic attitude toward others that can affect our behavior, decisions, and judgment. 

How to avoid affinity bias in the workplace?

As humans, we inevitably make judgments and perceptions about someone. But this doesn’t mean biases can’t be avoided. 

Affinity bias can be reduced by encouraging managers to find common ground with employees, which helps them see the employee as part of their group. Companies can also combat this bias through implicit bias training and by making hiring and promotion decisions based on data and measurable metrics.

Related: Metrics to evaluate the efficiency & effectiveness of hiring process

Some other ways to avoid bias in job interviews include:

Find common characteristics.

When meeting someone new, try to find things you have in common. Even if it’s not obvious right away, shared interests, experiences, or preferences can likely help you connect.

Consciously be aware of your bias.

Similarity bias can strongly affect your first impression whenever you meet someone new, personally or professionally. Think about how you may be similar or different from the person and how this might influence how you view them.

Actively seek out different perspectives.

While it’s natural to want to be around people who share your views, if you only surround yourself with like-minded people, you might fall into confirmation bias. This can make you less open to differences.

You can become more open-minded by seeking new perspectives, such as expanding your social circle.

If you encounter people who are biased toward others, speak openly about it to HR or managerial-level employees. Introduce randomization, anonymity, and skills-based hiring to your recruitment process. 

4 best practices to overcome affinity bias in hiring

The top 4 strategies for overcoming bias in the hiring process are listed below. 

1. Skills-based hiring

Skill tests are a powerful way to evaluate candidates based on their abilities rather than subjective factors like resumes or interviews alone. Tools like Testlify make this process seamless by providing tailored tests that measure job-relevant skills objectively.

These assessments help you:

• Focus on performance: Candidates are evaluated on what they can do, not where they studied or worked before.
• Reduce bias: Decisions are based on data, not personal preferences or assumptions.
• Save time: Quickly identify top talent without sifting through countless resumes.
• Improve diversity: Skill-based hiring ensures opportunities for candidates from all backgrounds.

2. Follow a structured process

Implement a structured HR process for hiring, decision-making, promotion, employee engagement, etc, to help reduce the influence of biases. Use objective criteria, diverse interview panels, randomized questions, and skills tests to ensure your hiring decisions are based on skills, not gut feeling or personal preference.

3. Embrace diversity and inclusion

Promote diversity and inclusion in your workplace. Encourage employees with diverse perspectives to be heard and help break down any barriers to their growth. 

4. Create awareness

Addressing their presence is the first step in abolishing negative stereotypes. Raise awareness about the harmful effects and provide training and workshops to reduce such unconscious biases. Research shows that 79% of recruiters agree to make unconscious bias while making hiring decisions. 

Affinity bias examples

By unconsciously choosing people like us, we miss out on the opportunity to hire fascinating people. This leads to reinforcing the same opinions and cultural beliefs repeatedly. 

Such a situation leads to a place where nobody can challenge or generate new ideas, making us less empathetic to someone who thinks “different” from us. 

Some common examples of similarity bias in the workplace include:

• Hiring unqualified candidates because of some similarity with the recruiter.
• Believing someone is highly intelligent just because you both attended the same university.
• Thinking someone is qualified for a role simply because you have the same professional qualifications or have worked at similar companies.
• Assuming someone is a good fit for your team because you share a similar age or socioeconomic background.
• Promoting or favoring a particular employee by hiring managers.
• Dismissing different or new ideas proposed by others. 
• Failing to acknowledge people for praise and rewards.

Let’s look at an example of affinity bias in hiring.

During a hiring interview, a recruiter and a candidate discover they both graduated from the same university. They instantly start talking about their college experiences, bonding over shared professors and campus events. The recruiter feels a stronger connection to this candidate as the interview continues.

Despite other candidates having more relevant experience or qualifications, the recruiter unconsciously starts to favor this candidate because of their shared background, believing they would be a better cultural fit. 

The recruiter justifies their decision by saying the candidate aligns well with the company’s values, even though other applicants might be more qualified.

Check out our Culture Fit Assessment to ensure candidates align with your organization’s values and work style. Find your ideal hire today!

What causes affinity bias?

Affinity bias happens because people like to get along with others who share similarities. When meeting someone new, we instantly assess them based on “like me” factors. Such super-fast judgments are made in an instant within our subconscious mind.

When others share the same views or thinking process, we tend to feel naturally connected to them. At work, such biases are often based on a person’s ability, skills, experience, character, etc.

Other reasons why we feel an affinity toward people similar to us are:

Our unconscious mind loves finding similarities: Our brain is wired to protect us from new experiences, including gravitating toward someone who shares similar qualities. This creates a sense of comfort and familiarity, as the brain perceives them as less of a threat, leading to an unconscious bias in their favor. 

A SHRM study found that applicants with white-sounding names are 50% more likely to get interview callbacks than those with black-sounding names. However, they both might have the same qualifications. 

Our brains prefer quick solutions: Studies show that the brain experiences 11 million bits of information in one moment, and we only process 40 bits at a time.  

Such bias helps us make snap judgments about people and situations without being fully aware. It acts as a mental shortcut that saves time and effort—our brain saves energy by assuming “similar to me” means “good” or “worth keeping around” without thinking too deeply.

Sense of validation and avoiding confrontation: When surrounded by people who think and behave similarly, we are more likely to have the same opinions and reactions, giving us a sense of affirmation. This also helps us avoid disagreements since people like us are less likely to challenge our views.

Limited exposure to diversity: People often live and work in environments surrounded by those similar to them. This lack of exposure to different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives creates a “lived experience gap,” reinforcing familiarity and comfort with those like themselves.

Reinforced stereotypes: Media and societal norms often repeat stereotypical roles, such as associating men of color with crime or women with caregiving.  For example, mugshots were shown in 45% of news stories about Black suspects, compared to just 8% for white suspects.

These repeated patterns become mental shortcuts in our brains, leading to quick assumptions and biased behavior without conscious thought.

Why is affinity bias a problem?

On the surface, there is no harm in preferring people who share our values and interests, but focusing too much on similar traits, especially in hiring, can cause you to miss out on top candidates. Such a tunnel-visioned approach can marginalize certain groups or individuals just because they are unlike you. 

As the talent acquisition team searches for the “perfect fit” candidate, having similarity bias can harm the whole recruitment process. For example, a recruiter might gravitate towards a candidate because they are from the same native place. 

On a larger scale, it can negatively impact an organization’s diversity. Research shows that companies with high diversity and inclusivity outperform their competitors by 1.7 times. 

Another problem is that this creates an environment where everyone thinks the same, leading to a lack of new ideas. This can lead to an overly homogenous, non-inclusive, and discriminatory environment.

Can affinity bias be helpful?

Shockingly, yes.

In some cases, affinity bias can benefit the organization and lead to a good outcome. For example, a manager who values teamwork and collaboration might favor a candidate who demonstrates those qualities, even if they don’t realize they’re making that choice.

When all other factors are equal, an unconscious bias toward positive traits can still benefit the organization.

But this doesn’t mean that biases in the workplace are always good. There’s always a good and bad side to everything. For every 100 men promoted to manager, only 54 Black women are promoted. This is likely because men are mostly the ones making these decisions. If bias isn’t addressed, it could keep women from advancing in their careers.

Is unconscious bias and affinity bias the same?

Unconscious bias and affinity bias are related but different ideas. Unconscious bias is when people have automatic, unintentional thoughts about others based on things like race or gender, which can affect how they act. 

Affinity bias, on the other hand, is a specific type of unconscious bias in which people prefer those similar to themselves, like friends or colleagues who share the same background or interests. This can lead to unfair treatment of those who are different.

Should HRs be aware of affinity bias?

Yes, HRs should definitely be aware of affinity bias. It’s human to have biases—part of how our brains work—but becoming aware of them is the first step to overcoming them.

To tackle such bias, ask yourself two key questions during decision-making:

• How do I know that is true?
• Am I favoring someone based on belief or actual data?
• What information do I have to support that belief?

These questions challenge your assumptions and encourage more objective thinking. By addressing biases, HRs can promote diversity and inclusion, ensuring everyone feels valued, regardless of their background.