SEX SIMILARITY, QUALITY OF THE EMPLOYMENT INTERVIEW AND RECRUITERS EVALUATION OF ACTUAL APPLICANTS

Using structural equation modelling, the present study examined the ef fect of sex similarity on interviewers' evaluations of actual applican ts and assessed whether interview quality mediated this effect. It was hypothesized that sex similarity would positively affect interview qu ality, which, in turn, would affect interview outcomes. Interviewers w ere expected to view interactions with same-sex applicants as higher i n quality than interactions with opposite-sex applicants. As a result, same-sex applicants were expected to receive more favourable outcomes than opposite-sex applicants. Analysis of data from 680 interviews pr ovided partial support for this hypothesis. Sex similarity did not aff ect male recruiters' perceptions of interview quality or evaluations o f applicants. However, as hypothesized, female recruiters reported bet ter interview experiences with female applicants than male applicants and, in turn, evaluated them more favourably. Gender differences in re cruiters' communication styles, social identification processes, and r eactions to organizational equal opportunity policies are offered as p ossible explanations for the disparate results for male and female rec ruiters.