APPLYING ONLINE: APPLICANT PERCEPTIONS OF ONLINE RESUME SUBMISSION

Abstract

Online resume submission has received negative criticism due to the lack of human interaction that applicants are exposed to during the initial stages of applying for jobs. This study investigated applicant's perceptions of fairness of the online resume submission process. Tailoring resumes in terms of fairness, ethicality, and several other variables was also assessed. Participants were 152 students recruited from a research pool of introductory psychology students as well as an upper level psychology class at a large, public university. Six scenarios, or situations, were presented to participants with questions that followed each regarding fairness, ethicality of the situation, and other variables. The results showed that participants viewed human screening agents as fairer and more ethical than automated screening agents. They also viewed tailoring resumes to be less fair and less ethical in most scenarios. Additional information regarding results, implications, limitations, and conclusions are also presented.