Summary: | Small accounting firms do not have the possibility to spend large amounts of time and money on a recruitment service. Instead, they recruit inhouse and use informal recruitment methods. The study aims to find out what small accounting firms informal recruitment methods look like and what those who recruit at these small accounting firms look for in a candidate. This study addresses the risks of not using advanced recruitment methods and specifically bias risks. The empirical content of the study was collected through interviews of 6 small accounting firms in north Sweden. The empirical material has been processed and compared to the theory on the subject that was collected. The results of the study show that the informal methods used within the 6 agencies interviewed are very similar. The study reveals that bias occurs in all respondents in both conscious and unconscious form. In the case of conscious bias, it is often perceived as something positive, and in many of the cases it is linked to the respondent’s gut feeling that they are proud of. It is unclear whether bias is solely of a negative and discriminatory nature, or whether it contributes to positive aspects such as well-functioning social structures in the workplace. This study helps to raise awareness about bias in small knowledge-based firms.
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