The Joint Effects of Narcissism and Gender on Group Recruiting Event Performance: Implications for Large Public Accounting Firm Hiring Decisions

Abstract

This paper reports the results of multiple studies that together provide converging evidence in support of theory that gender stereotypes bias employee selection during group recruiting events. Specifically, we predict and find that female (male) job candidates who exhibit stereotypically male behaviors receive lower (higher) evaluations during group recruiting events, particularly among male recruiters. Prior research suggests gender stereotypes do not bias employee selection during one-on-one interviews. However, our results suggest that evaluating job candidates in the more social context of group events can have important unintended consequences on employee selection, a key component of the accounting control environment. Given the importance of group recruiting events to inform hiring decisions across organizations such as investment banks and public accounting firms, our results contribute to a better understanding of survey and field evidence suggesting that entry-level male and female employees have different personalities at these organizations which appear to influence their career trajectories.