HR Glossary

What is Horn Effect?

A cognitive bias where one negative trait, mistake, or impression about a person distorts an evaluator's overall judgment, causing them to rate the individual poorly across unrelated areas of performance or character.

Why it matters in hiring

Horn Effect comes up whenever teams compare candidates, set policy or report on people data. Getting the definition right keeps decisions consistent, which is the same reason springhire scores every applicant against the same criteria rather than on impression.

Related terms starting with H

• High Performer
• HIPAA
• Hiring Freeze
• Hiring Manager
• House Rent Allowance (HRA)
• Housing Allowance (UAE)
• HR Analytics
• HR Audit

Part of the springhire HR glossary, 1,150+ HR, payroll and recruiting terms defined. Free, no signup.