Review candidate judgments before confidence, first impressions or outcome stories become stronger than the evidence.
Open situation →Reasoning Practice · Starter
The confident first ten minutes
A candidate gives a confident opening answer. The panel spends the rest of the interview interpreting mixed evidence as proof that the candidate is strong.
Your decision
What is the best first move before the panel gives a rating?
Show the best first move
B. Return to criteria fixed before the interview and score the same evidence against each criterion.
Why this move helps
The opening answer may act as an anchor. Predefined criteria reduce the freedom to reinterpret later evidence around that first impression.
Evidence still missing
- The interview criteria and scoring rules agreed before the meeting.
- Independent notes from each interviewer.
- Evidence from comparable candidates assessed with the same questions.
Evidence note
Anchoring is a plausible first lens because an early judgment shaped later interpretation. The scenario does not prove that anchoring caused the final rating.
Next action
Collect independent criterion-level scores before discussing an overall recommendation.
Best first lens
Anchoring Effect
Use the lens to ask a better question. It does not prove that a person or team has a cognitive bias.
Other defensible lenses
The situation may have more than one explanation.
Continue the path
Situation → skill → technique → action.
You can separate a persuasive claim from the evidence that should change your mind.
Build this skill →Fix the comparison dimensions before a preferred option makes the criteria move.
Run the technique →