Effects of training intervention on hiring discrimination and rater prejudice

Abstract

The present study examined the effects of a training intervention on reducing hiring discrimination (perceived job suitability ratings) and rater prejudice against Middle-Eastern applicants. Additionally, the moderating effects of individuals' motivation to learn and openness to experience on the relationships among these variables were investigated. A total of 196 college students participated in this study. They were randomly assigned to either the experimental condition (attending a training program) or the control group. The study consisted of an online survey phase, in which participants responded to measures assessing their openness to experience and prejudice attitude, and a computer lab-based phase in which participants role-played a company's recruiters and reviewed applicants' resumes for job suitability levels. The training intervention included a video clip and a perspective-taking exercise, focusing on raising participants' awareness of biases against minority members of a group. The findings showed that there were no significant differences in participants' ratings and rankings of Middle-Eastern job applicants between the two conditions. However, an interesting interaction effect was found between training and raters' openness to experience for themixed Middle-Eastern resume; specifically, in the control group, those who were higher on openness gave higher job suitability ratings than those who were lower on openness to experience, however in the training group no significant difference was found between these two groups. This means that even those who are low on openness to experience could be trained not to engage in hiring discrimination. The practical and theoretical implications of the findings were discussed.