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Applicant ethnicity affects which questions are asked in a job interview : The role of expected fit

Wolgast, Sima LU ; Björklund, Fredrik LU orcid and Bäckström, Martin LU (2018) In Journal of Personnel Psychology 17(2). p.66-74
Abstract

Three experiments on professional recruiters explored how applicants' ethnicity affects questions prepared for a job interview and the implications of this. Study 1 revealed that outgroup applicants prompt recruiters to focus more on whether applicants have integrated cultural norms and values fitting the ingroup norms (person-culture fit), as well as the match between the applicants and their would-be work team (person-group fit). When applicants were from the ethnic ingroup, recruiters focused more on questions pertaining to the match between the applicants' abilities and the specific demands of the job (person-job fit). Studies 2 and 3 revealed that questions prepared for outgroup applicants were rated as less useful for hireability... (More)

Three experiments on professional recruiters explored how applicants' ethnicity affects questions prepared for a job interview and the implications of this. Study 1 revealed that outgroup applicants prompt recruiters to focus more on whether applicants have integrated cultural norms and values fitting the ingroup norms (person-culture fit), as well as the match between the applicants and their would-be work team (person-group fit). When applicants were from the ethnic ingroup, recruiters focused more on questions pertaining to the match between the applicants' abilities and the specific demands of the job (person-job fit). Studies 2 and 3 revealed that questions prepared for outgroup applicants were rated as less useful for hireability decisions, and that summaries emphasizing person-job fit were perceived as more useful.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Discrimination, Ethnicity, Interview questions, Person-environment fit, Recruitment
in
Journal of Personnel Psychology
volume
17
issue
2
pages
9 pages
publisher
Hogrefe & Huber Publishers
external identifiers
  • scopus:85044279661
ISSN
1866-5888
DOI
10.1027/1866-5888/a000197
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
1f9e81aa-0253-46ac-bb42-d5a5fc68a398
date added to LUP
2018-04-03 14:04:43
date last changed
2022-04-25 06:37:27
@article{1f9e81aa-0253-46ac-bb42-d5a5fc68a398,
  abstract     = {{<p>Three experiments on professional recruiters explored how applicants' ethnicity affects questions prepared for a job interview and the implications of this. Study 1 revealed that outgroup applicants prompt recruiters to focus more on whether applicants have integrated cultural norms and values fitting the ingroup norms (person-culture fit), as well as the match between the applicants and their would-be work team (person-group fit). When applicants were from the ethnic ingroup, recruiters focused more on questions pertaining to the match between the applicants' abilities and the specific demands of the job (person-job fit). Studies 2 and 3 revealed that questions prepared for outgroup applicants were rated as less useful for hireability decisions, and that summaries emphasizing person-job fit were perceived as more useful.</p>}},
  author       = {{Wolgast, Sima and Björklund, Fredrik and Bäckström, Martin}},
  issn         = {{1866-5888}},
  keywords     = {{Discrimination; Ethnicity; Interview questions; Person-environment fit; Recruitment}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{04}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{66--74}},
  publisher    = {{Hogrefe & Huber Publishers}},
  series       = {{Journal of Personnel Psychology}},
  title        = {{Applicant ethnicity affects which questions are asked in a job interview : The role of expected fit}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1027/1866-5888/a000197}},
  doi          = {{10.1027/1866-5888/a000197}},
  volume       = {{17}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}