Effects of the Rater's Sex and Sex-Role Orientation and the Applicant's Physical Attractiveness Sex and Qualifications on Resume Evaluation

Androgynous college students (16 males and 16 females) and sex-typed college students (16 males and 16 females) rated the resumes of fictitious applicants for a managerial position. The applicant's physical attractiveness, qualifications, and sex were systematically varied in the resumes. Five-way analyses of variance were performed on the hiring rankings of the applicants and the perceived attractiveness, masculinity, femininity, and social desirability of the applicants. The sex and attractiveness of the applicants significantly affected the hiring decisions, but not as strongly as did the applicant's qualifications. For hiring decisions, the subjects' sex-role orientation moderated the effect of the applicant's attractiveness but not the effect of the applicant's sex. The applicant's sex, qualifications, and attractiveness affected the perceived sex-role orientation and sex-relevant goodness of the applicants. In addition, the applicant's qualifications and sex affected the perceived sex-irrelevant goodness of the applicants. Implications for the employee interview process and suggestions for further research are discussed.