Abstract
Organizations all over the world are found guilty of using stereotypes to discriminate against applicants in the selection process for employment. This research seeks to answer the question what stereotypes are used to discriminate against people in the selection process and consequently provide an analysis of the physical and social characteristics that prohibit people from gaining employment. A sample of 87 working adults taking a Human Resources Management course were selected to complete a survey that questioned them on physical characteristics and how they affected their decisions on hiring or rejecting applicants. Historical research has held that interviews possess some stereotypes such as race, gender, age, height and weight to judge applicants rather than their skills, knowledge and ability to perform the job. Five hypotheses were posited for testing. Mixed support was provided that respondents ignore most stereotypical characteristics in the employment selection process but surprisingly strong support for one’s appearance and dress was found. It is recommended that interviewers undertake detailed training, decrease stereotyping by focusing on job description and keep interviews job related. It is also wise for interviews to include tests when judging applicant’s skills, knowledge and ability. Federal laws and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission also serve to ensure that equal opportunity is granted to all and discrimination is avoided.
Highlights
In today’s modern society, people are still encountering challenges because of the prejudices of others
It is recommended that interviewers undertake detailed training, decrease stereotyping by focusing on job description and keep interviews job related
Federal laws and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission serve to ensure that equal opportunity is granted to all and discrimination is avoided
Summary
In today’s modern society, people are still encountering challenges because of the prejudices of others. The difficulty arises because the interviewers enter the interview with prejudices and stereotypes of individuals rather than an open mind to assess the individual’s ability to perform the job. This leads to discrimination; the act of making distinctions in prejudicial treatment of or showing partiality against one or more individuals for the main purpose of declining the welfare of that individual or group of individuals. Employers have retreated from tests because of the idea that interviews were not subjected to the same firm standards as tests They thought that because interviews were subjective, it was not flexible to scientific scrutiny and they only had to refrain from discriminatory questions to avoid discrimination lawsuits. It is evident that a subjective procedure like interview would have a low reliability and validity
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