This study examined how people of color seeking administrator-level positions perceived hiring bias and biased hiring decisions that adversely impacted their upward mobility in higher education career pathways. The study was conducted using semi-structured interview questions to collect thick data descriptions, explore participants thoughts and feelings about hiring bias, and to extract personal stories to gauge the depth of their experiences within this phenomenon. Analysis of the transcripts took place using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to generate and identify thematic areas of meaning and to discover how people of color interpreted their work environments. This process resulted in the development of three major themes: immobilizing minority hires, naming bias, and leveraging diversity and inclusion. Eight subordinate themes emerged within these key themes to capture further meaning and the significance of experience. These findings were grounded in a vast array of extant literature as well as interpretivist-constructivist inquiries into individual accounts of human interactions with varied situations and how they made sense of what they encountered (Ponterotto, 2005). Vital implications for practice called for improved professional training inclusive of shared learning opportunities, relationship-building to enhance interpersonal connections, and intercultural communications between the totality of stakeholder interests to achieve an authentic, diversity hiring leadership and collaborative, accountable panel decisions. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]