Story source:
Jesse Moore, (813) 974-4201
Media contact:
Michael Reich, (813) 974-9047
USF STUDY: SALES MANAGERS' BIASES OCCUR EVEN BEFORE INTERVIEWS
TAMPA, Fla. (July 8, 1997) -- Sales managers have low expectations
when African-Americans apply for professional sales jobs, but according to
a study conducted at the University of South Florida, that can have a
paradoxical effect: interested, qualified African-Americans may be seen as
even more qualified than equally-qualified Caucasians.
Jesse Moore, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Marketing,
found that if an African-American's application packet showed he was
interested and qualified, he defied the manager's pre-interview
expectations, causing the manager to think more highly of him.
"The hurdle is still there," says Moore, who recently secured a
tenure-track position at Clemson University. "Sales managers still tend
to expect African Americans to be unqualified. Those who don't defy these
expectations before the interview are like ly to be treated less
positively during the interview process than their Caucasian
counterparts."
The study was the first in the nation that examined the
preconceptions that actual sales managers have before the interview stage
of the employment process. By examining survey responses from 279 sales
managers across the nation, Moore examined managers ' pre-interview
impressions based on applicant race, gender, physical appearance and type
of sales job.
He provided each manager with application packets of two
applicants to determine which of the two was viewed as more qualified and
more likely to be hired. Each packet simulated an employment dossier and
included a photo of each candidate as well as inf ormation about each
applicant's qualifications.
Other findings from the study:
"¢ Sales managers who believe the applicant is similar to them will
be more likely to deem that person hirable, promotable and credible than
if they didn't believe the applicant was similar.
"¢ Sales managers tend to be predisposed to offer lower starting
salaries to female applicants than they would offer to equally qualified
males, regardless of the applicant's race.
"¢ Although the applicant's physical attractiveness may affect
sales managers' impressions of how successful the applicant may be,
physical attractiveness appears to have little impact on decisions to hire
the applicant.
Moore's methodology adds to its practical benefit to sales
managers, according to Greg Marshall, a marketing professor and former
sales manager for a Fortune 200 company.
"This research is unique in that Jesse was able to study several
potentially sensitive employment issues in a confidential and highly
professional manner," Marshall said, who chaired Moore's doctoral
dissertation. "The fact that practicing sales manager s responded to
realistic employment application materials lends a high degree of
authenticity to the research. My expectation is that sales organizations
will be very interested in Jesse's findings. I know I would be if I were
a sales manager today."
Moore's study was conducted using inferential statistics, which
allow a researcher to make conclusions about how sales managers in general
would respond to applicants based on the responses given by the managers
surveyed.
Established in 1956, USF was the first university created
completely in the 20th century and is now among the 15 largest in the
nation with a student body of 36,000. It is home to some 200 degree
programs, including the M.D. USF has won national acclaim for its research
and instruction efforts in teacher education, accounting, marine science,
Alzheimer's disease, public health, psychology and other areas.
- USF -
Todd Simmons, Director of Media Relations
University of South Florida
4202 E. Fowler Ave., ADM271
Tampa, FL 33620-6300
813.974.4014 phone / 813.974.2888 fax
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