Examining discrimination in asynchronous video interviews: Does cultural distance based on country‐of‐origin matter?

Abstract

We conducted two studies to investigate how cultural differences based on country of origin influence the selection process in an asynchronous video interview (AVI) context. We drew upon the GLOBE cultural value dimensions and individual measures of prejudice to examine if raters evaluate job applicants who are more culturally dissimilar to them more negatively than culturally similar applicants. Professionals with hiring experience from the United Kingdom were recruited via the Prolific platform and asked to watch and evaluate pre‐recorded video responses from five culturally diverse applicants. Results across both studies were only somewhat consistent with the GLOBE framework. For instance, raters did demonstrate a strong preference for Canadian and South African interviewees over other countries. Right‐wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation were non‐significant in moderating how evaluations were assigned; however, ethnocentrism levels did modestly impact evaluations in Study 2. This research is the first to investigate how cultural factors can impact the selection process in an AVI context. As the number of organizations that rely on virtual interviews increases and globalization makes it likely for applicants and interviewers to be from different cultural backgrounds, our research is highly relevant in understanding the impact of these elements on hiring decisions.

Investigating impression management use in asynchronous video interviews across 10 countries

“…As such, applicants from various cultures present images of themselves considered to be ideal according to their cultural standards. Understanding how IM use differs within an AVI context, therefore, has similar implications to FTF interviews, where discrimination and subconscious biases related to cultural distance may be present (Arseneault & Roulin, 2023;Huffcutt et al, 2011;Manroop et al, 2013).…”

“…One German study (Basch et al, 2021) found no relationship for any form of IM, whereas a North-American one found a positive effect of honest IM but no effect for deceptive IM on interview performance ratings (Roulin et al, 2023). Yet, such studies did not include cross-cultural samples, which is relevant given that the cultural distance between interviewers and interviewees can significantly impact how performance evaluations are assigned (Arseneault & Roulin, 2023). Despite the likelihood of subjective evaluator biases and based on the overall IMperformance literature, we predict that interviewees using more honest IM tactics will (generally) be evaluated more positively.…”

Does media richness influence job applicants' experience in asynchronous video interviews? Examining social presence, impression management, anxiety, and performance

“…For instance, while we slightly adapted Tsui et al, 1992). Further, Arseneault and Roulin (2023) showed that cultural differences between the interviewee and the evaluator could bias evaluations in AVIs. Of course, these potential negative effects could possibly be mitigated through the implementation of highly structured interviews and standardized processes (Levashina et al, 2014;McCarthy et al, 2010) and AVIs are usually structured interviews.…”