Effects of non-indigenous Australian human resource managers' gender and attitudes and applicants' Ethnicity and gender on resumé evaluations

Abstract

In this web-based survey, 60 non-Indigenous Australian human resource (HR) professionals reviewed four fictitious job resumés for an Indigenous male, Indigenous female, non-Indigenous male and non- Indigenous female. Participants rated the resumés against five key selection criteria and then ranked them in terms of suitability for a HR position, team fit (TF) with participants' current HR team, and suitability for a customer service (CS) position. Finally, participants completed a modified Attitude toward Indigenous Australians scale. Although participants' gender and attitudes and applicants' gender and ethnicity did not have an effect on resumé ratings, rank differences for the HR position and TF for the whole sample were significantly different, with the non-Indigenous male applicant being preferred to the Indigenous male and female applicants. Participants holding a negative attitude toward Indigenous people consistently ranked the non-Indigenous male applicant more favourably than the Indigenous male and female applicants and the non-Indigenous female applicant more favourably than the Indigenous male applicant. Female participants ranked the non-Indigenous male applicant more favourably than the Indigenous male and female applicants for the HR position and TF. Implications for Indigenous Australian employment disadvantage are examined with reference to social identity and contemporary racism theories.