Publisher
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Place of Publication
Chattanooga (Tenn.)
Abstract
Organizations are driven to persuade qualified candidates to apply for open positions to discover and recruit higher-quality individuals (Phillips & Gully, 2015). They also recognize the importance of a diverse workforce and seek to implement hiring strategies to attract underrepresented individuals (Greenberg, 2015). Avery and McKay's studies in 2003 and 2006 found that targeted recruitment commercials highlighting non-White employees as recognized and included in an organization enhanced non-White job seekers' interest in that organization. It has not yet been determined if this effect applies to White members of other marginalized groups, notably White and non-White LGBTQ+ individuals (Avery & McKay, 2006; Walker et al., 2011). This study examines how images on a company's "Careers Page" web page influence the application intentions of applicants of various races/ethnicities and LGBTQ+ identities. We tested four hypotheses in this study: Hypothesis One (H1): Images portraying a racially and ethnically diverse workforce will positively affect the application intentions of non-White applicants Hypothesis Two (H2): Images portraying LGBTQ+ symbolism will positively affect the application intentions of LGBTQ+ applicants. Hypothesis Three (H3): Images representing one marginalized group will have positive, but slightly smaller effects on the application intentions of other marginalized groups. Hypothesis Four (H4): Application intentions of White applicants will remain unaffected by images portraying a racially and ethnically diverse workforce. These hypotheses were evaluated in a 2x2x2x2 quasi-experiment, in which we compared the application intents of non-White and White job applicants. The application intentions of persons who identify as LGBTQ+ or not were also examined. Participants in the study were shown one of four images on a mock web page: one depicting no racial or ethnic diversity, one depicting no racial or ethnic diversity with LGBTQ+ symbolism, one depicting a racially and ethnically diverse workforce, or one depicting a racially and ethnically diverse workforce with LGBTQ+ symbolism. The study was conducted via a Qualtrics online survey and 539 participants were solicited from Prolific’s online participant pool. Currently, the data is being analyzed using a factorial ANOVA and post-hoc tests will be used to understand specific differences if interactions are significant. Findings from this study will measure the impact of website image elements that promote diversity and inclusion on the application intents of various applicants. We will be able to better understand if the perception of any marginalized identity, whether or not it is the applicant's identity, boosts the likelihood of applying to an organization.
Date
11-9-2024
Subject
Industrial and organizational psychology
Document Type
posters
Language
English
Rights
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Included in
A Picture Worth a Thousand Words: How Career Website Images Influence Application Intentions
Organizations are driven to persuade qualified candidates to apply for open positions to discover and recruit higher-quality individuals (Phillips & Gully, 2015). They also recognize the importance of a diverse workforce and seek to implement hiring strategies to attract underrepresented individuals (Greenberg, 2015). Avery and McKay's studies in 2003 and 2006 found that targeted recruitment commercials highlighting non-White employees as recognized and included in an organization enhanced non-White job seekers' interest in that organization. It has not yet been determined if this effect applies to White members of other marginalized groups, notably White and non-White LGBTQ+ individuals (Avery & McKay, 2006; Walker et al., 2011). This study examines how images on a company's "Careers Page" web page influence the application intentions of applicants of various races/ethnicities and LGBTQ+ identities. We tested four hypotheses in this study: Hypothesis One (H1): Images portraying a racially and ethnically diverse workforce will positively affect the application intentions of non-White applicants Hypothesis Two (H2): Images portraying LGBTQ+ symbolism will positively affect the application intentions of LGBTQ+ applicants. Hypothesis Three (H3): Images representing one marginalized group will have positive, but slightly smaller effects on the application intentions of other marginalized groups. Hypothesis Four (H4): Application intentions of White applicants will remain unaffected by images portraying a racially and ethnically diverse workforce. These hypotheses were evaluated in a 2x2x2x2 quasi-experiment, in which we compared the application intents of non-White and White job applicants. The application intentions of persons who identify as LGBTQ+ or not were also examined. Participants in the study were shown one of four images on a mock web page: one depicting no racial or ethnic diversity, one depicting no racial or ethnic diversity with LGBTQ+ symbolism, one depicting a racially and ethnically diverse workforce, or one depicting a racially and ethnically diverse workforce with LGBTQ+ symbolism. The study was conducted via a Qualtrics online survey and 539 participants were solicited from Prolific’s online participant pool. Currently, the data is being analyzed using a factorial ANOVA and post-hoc tests will be used to understand specific differences if interactions are significant. Findings from this study will measure the impact of website image elements that promote diversity and inclusion on the application intents of various applicants. We will be able to better understand if the perception of any marginalized identity, whether or not it is the applicant's identity, boosts the likelihood of applying to an organization.
Department
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Dept. of Psychology