Gender and Ethnic Differences in Self-presentation Strategies: A Vignette Survey Experiment in Human vs. Automated Recruitment

12 July 2024

Despite the growth of artificial intelligence (AI) in hiring, limited evidence exists on whether job candidates from different backgrounds self-present differently, and how they would adapt their self-presentation strategies to algorithmic hiring tools. While algorithmic systems hold promises to tackle persistent hiring inequality and discrimination, people’s self-confidence and perception of discrimination may shape their self-presentation strategies and their willingness to embrace such tools. Our study fills this gap with a vignette survey experiment to structurally map open-ended text answers to common interview questions with validated measures of self-confidence and perceived discrimination in the job market. Together with the linked LISS data on Work and Schooling, Personality, Politics and Values, we can map self-presentation strategies to social segregation and mobility patterns and inform policymakers of equitable AI recruitment systems.