Scene, not heard: Exploring the influence of socioeconomic status background cues in asynchronous video interviews

Abstract While recent studies have highlighted the potential for background cues in asynchronous video interviews (AVIs) to inadvertently disclose non‐job‐related information about job applicants, researchers have yet to explore the impact of socioeconomic status (SES) cues. This study investigates whether background cues about SES (specifically cues not available in a face‐to‐face interview) introduce unique biases in the hiring process. We examined if evaluators could discern SES differences based on a job applicant's background and whether these cues influenced the perceived hireability of the job applicant. To enhance the realism of our findings and understand when such biases may be exacerbated, we simulated the conditions a hiring manager might face by inducing cognitive load (CL). In a working sample of N = 260 American Cloud Research Connect participants, we used a 2 (low; high SES) by 2 (low; high CL) between‐subjects experimental design. We found that although evaluators could identify differences in SES and did experience a difference in CL, these two factors did not directly influence the perceived hireability of the job applicant. We also investigated the role of evaluators' characteristics, such as their own SES, attitude towards poverty, and social dominance orientation. Although these did not directly influence their ratings of the job applicant, we identified noteworthy correlations: participants' perceptions of the SES of the background correlated with the job applicant's (a) perceived hireability, and (b) perceived SES. These findings emphasize the need for further research into the subtle cues that evaluators might use to gauge SES, which could impact a job applicant's AVI evaluation.