Publisher
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Place of Publication
Chattanooga (Tenn.)
Abstract
Hiring discrimination in the U.S. is an illegal practice for people who are 40 and older (Age Discrimination in Employment Act, 1967). Previous research has shown that not only is discrimination still prevalent (Harris, 2022; Abrams et al., 2016), but as much as 48% of people have experienced some type of ageism (Wilson et al., 2019). Furthermore, 90% of all discriminatory decisions are made before the hiring process even begins, typically during the resume screening process (Harris, 2022). Older age in applicants may signal to recruiters that the candidate has lower technology skills and trainability (VanBorm et al., 2021).The current study investigates the impact of implicit age cues in resumes (i.e., names) and the impact of a prescriptive stereotype violation (e.g. perceived technological ability) as it impacts perceptions of warmth and competence. It is hypothesized that subsequent impressions of trainability and suitability will be impacted by warmth and competence perceptions. Participants will be recruited from CloudResearch Connect (N = 300). The study uses a 2 (Implicit Age Cue: Young, Old) x 2 (Technology Skill: Yes, No) experimental resume design. Participants will be randomly assigned to one condition and then subsequently rate the candidate on warmth and competence (Cuddy et al., 2008), and trainability and suitability for the position (Derous et al., 2009; Di Stacio, 2014). They will subsequently provide their demographic information. We intend to use moderated mediation to test study hypotheses. If the hypothesis is correct, resumes with older implicit age cues and no technological skills will be perceived as less warm and less competent, which consequently will result in being perceived as unsuitable and untrainable from hiring managers. Theoretically, given the foundation on the Stereotype Content Model, the current study will provide evidence for the impact of age-related cues on perceptions of warmth and competence. Subsequently, it will also provide insight into the implicit bias that may be impacting hiring managers and recruiters within the resume screening process. For practice, this study will aid in recommendations for hiring processes (e.g. valuing experience, structured interviews, ongoing training) and inclusion efforts across organizations by highlighting the use of “shortcuts” in resume screening as one way that bias can still emerge in the hiring process. By allowing companies to be aware of the discrimination at the very beginning of recruitment this could change the outcome during the interview process. This can reduce bias in evaluations of candidates and promote age diversity.
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-nc-nd/4.0/
Included in
Ageism in Hiring: The Influence of Implicit Cues on Perceptions of Candidate Warmth, Competence, Suitability, and Trainability
Hiring discrimination in the U.S. is an illegal practice for people who are 40 and older (Age Discrimination in Employment Act, 1967). Previous research has shown that not only is discrimination still prevalent (Harris, 2022; Abrams et al., 2016), but as much as 48% of people have experienced some type of ageism (Wilson et al., 2019). Furthermore, 90% of all discriminatory decisions are made before the hiring process even begins, typically during the resume screening process (Harris, 2022). Older age in applicants may signal to recruiters that the candidate has lower technology skills and trainability (VanBorm et al., 2021).The current study investigates the impact of implicit age cues in resumes (i.e., names) and the impact of a prescriptive stereotype violation (e.g. perceived technological ability) as it impacts perceptions of warmth and competence. It is hypothesized that subsequent impressions of trainability and suitability will be impacted by warmth and competence perceptions. Participants will be recruited from CloudResearch Connect (N = 300). The study uses a 2 (Implicit Age Cue: Young, Old) x 2 (Technology Skill: Yes, No) experimental resume design. Participants will be randomly assigned to one condition and then subsequently rate the candidate on warmth and competence (Cuddy et al., 2008), and trainability and suitability for the position (Derous et al., 2009; Di Stacio, 2014). They will subsequently provide their demographic information. We intend to use moderated mediation to test study hypotheses. If the hypothesis is correct, resumes with older implicit age cues and no technological skills will be perceived as less warm and less competent, which consequently will result in being perceived as unsuitable and untrainable from hiring managers. Theoretically, given the foundation on the Stereotype Content Model, the current study will provide evidence for the impact of age-related cues on perceptions of warmth and competence. Subsequently, it will also provide insight into the implicit bias that may be impacting hiring managers and recruiters within the resume screening process. For practice, this study will aid in recommendations for hiring processes (e.g. valuing experience, structured interviews, ongoing training) and inclusion efforts across organizations by highlighting the use of “shortcuts” in resume screening as one way that bias can still emerge in the hiring process. By allowing companies to be aware of the discrimination at the very beginning of recruitment this could change the outcome during the interview process. This can reduce bias in evaluations of candidates and promote age diversity.
Department
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Dept. of Psychology