Unintended consequences: Russian, Chinese and US perceptions of the hiring decision

Abstract

During the job application and interview process, there is a natural tendency for applicants to stress attributes that they possess and that they also believe are being sought by hiring organisations. Due to cultural differences, applicants may be unwittingly contributing to bias in personnel selection and creating unequal opportunities for themselves. This study compares the attitudes of university students in China, Russia and the USA to determine whether culture-related differences exist in the minds of these future job seekers with regard to their perceptions of the importance of specific candidate attributes to prospective employers.