When Job Opportunities Go Up in Smoke

Abstract

Abstract: Employment discrimination based on job-unrelated factors (e.g., gender, smoking status) can lead to unfair outcomes for applicants. In the present study, 400 Canadian and US hiring professionals evaluated a candidate’s resume and then cybervetted their social media page which disclosed their gender and smoking status (i.e., cigarette smoker, vaper, or nonsmoker). Revised evaluations post-cybervetting were lower for applicants discovered as smokers and vapers than for nonsmokers, but vapers were perceived as negatively as smokers. Negative evaluations for cigarette smokers depended on raters’ attitudes toward smoking. Applicant gender moderated the effect of vaping but not smoking on evaluations. Managers’ gender role beliefs did not play a moderating role. These findings indicate the need for improvements in cybervetting practices used in hiring.