Employment decisions as a function of an applicant's accent

Abstract

EMPLOYMENT DECISIONS AS A FUNCTION OF AN APPLICANT'S ACCENT by Lam T. NguyenUsing data collected from 167 college students, the present study examined the effects of an applicant's accent (Standard American English vs. Spanish) on employment-related decisions (i.e., job suitability, likelihood of promotion, and decision to hire) and perceived applicant characteristics (i.e., competence and likability). Results showed that Spanish-accented applicants were rated less suitable for an entry-level software engineering job, were perceived as having a lower chance of being promoted to a managerial position, and were hired less frequently compared to the Standard American English-accented applicant. Additionally, the Spanish-accented applicant was rated less competent but just as likable as the Standard American English-accented applicant.Interestingly, ethnicity of the participants had no effect on the evaluation and perceptions of the Standard American English-accented or Spanish-accented applicants. The results of the study indicate that accent could serve as a basis for stigma, and consequently, foreign-accented applicants might suffer a number of negative consequences.Implications of the results are discussed. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS