This article was first published on LinkedIn
Early in my career, I was invited to join an interview panel tasked with evaluating software developer candidates. Beyond assessing their technical skills, we were also asked to evaluate their "culture fit." The guidance we received was simple: apply the Lunch Test. Would you want to have lunch with this person even if you didn’t work together?
At the time, this seemed like a reasonable measure. After all, I would only choose to have lunch with someone I liked, and liking a colleague felt important—especially for someone I would end up spending a lot of time working with in the trenches.
Over time, however, I realized that the Lunch Test was deeply flawed. It was an easy way for bias—both conscious and unconscious—to seep into the hiring process. This test disproportionately favored candidates who shared our interests, backgrounds, or personalities, reinforcing homogeneity rather than fostering diversity.
The problem is that we all have biases, shaped by our upbringing and experiences. Some are explicit and recognizable, but the more insidious ones operate beneath the surface, triggering subconscious reactions—an unexplained “bad feeling” about someone that may have nothing to do with their actual abilities or potential as an employee.
Having bias doesn’t make us bad people. But when bias influences hiring and promotion decisions, it creates an unfair system that denies opportunities to deserving candidates—particularly those from historically underrepresented groups.
My perspective on the Lunch Test changed when I was introduced to the principles of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), which have unfortunately been misrepresented in public discourse.
- Diversity challenges our biases by encouraging us to seek out and value candidates who are different from us, rather than viewing those differences as negative signals.
- Equity ensures fairness by recognizing and addressing systemic barriers that have historically excluded certain groups.
- Inclusion fosters a workplace culture where all voices are heard and valued, allowing diverse talent to thrive.
Many people say they believe in meritocracy and simply want to hire the best candidate. Ironically, DEI doesn’t contradict meritocracy—it strengthens it. By addressing biases and structural inequities, DEI helps ensure that we truly recognize and elevate the most qualified individuals, rather than unconsciously favoring those who just happen to feel familiar.