Blink also has much to say about first impressions in hiring. You make the case that gathering more information about a person isn't always helpful; in fact, it can lead us to make mistakes.
A lot of the evidence we gather when we're evaluating someone is irrelevant, but it drowns out things that are relevant. Women couldn't get hired to play in orchestras until they began using blind auditions. Women were said to lack the proper strength or resilience. But when they started [putting players behind screens during auditions], the judges focused only on the music, and their prejudices didn't get in the way.

If lengthy job interviews and questionnaires aren't the best way to learn about applicants, what might be better?
It would be better to drop by their house when they're not there and look around. Look at their bedroom, or their books and the art on the walls. Our personal belongings contain valuable information. There's a lot of confusing, irrelevant information in a face-to-face encounter, and it can screw up your judgment.

That leads to what you call the Warren Harding Error, the "dark side of Blink." What is that?
There are circumstances when rapid cognition can lead us astray. Harding was a tall, distinguished-looking man with a great voice who seemed like a perfect candidate. But most historians say he was one of the worst presidents ever. This often happens with tall men. We fall in love with them, and their height blocks other considera­tions about how good they are as leaders and managers.

And what's the result of this bias in favor of tall people?
It's striking. Among the general population, about 14.5 percent of all men are 6 feet or taller. If you look at CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, 58 percent are over 6 feet. Over the course of a lifetime, the average man who is 6-foot-5 will make hundreds of thousands of dollars more than someone who is 5-foot-9.