Employers judge applicants’ social class in just seven words – and the posher you sound, the more likely they are to hire you

‘Even during the briefest interactions, a person’s speech patterns shape the way people perceive them’

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Interviewers judge job candidates based on their socioeconomic status seconds after they start speaking, new research suggests.

According to a study conducted by Yale University, which is to be published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, hiring managers make instant assumptions about a person’s social class based on how they pronounce just seven words.

The study found that the higher an employer deems an applicant’s social class, the more likely they are to view them as competent for the job compared to those of lower status.

The employer is also more likely to recommend a higher starting salary for someone they perceive to be of a higher socioeconomic status, the research claims.

To conduct the study, lead author Michael Kraus, assistant professor of organisational behaviour at Yale University, and his team recruited 20 candidates from different social backgrounds and invited them to be interviewed for a laboratory manager role.

The candidates were asked to describe themselves on a recording, which was then played to 274 hiring managers who, without access to the applicants’ CVs, were asked to make judgements on their professional capabilities, social class and assign them a starting salary.

“We rarely talk explicitly about social class, and yet, people with hiring experience infer competence and fitness based on socioeconomic position estimated from a few second of an applicant’s speech,” Kraus said.

“If we want to move to a more equitable society, then we must contend with these ingrained psychological processes that drive our early impressions of others.

“Despite what these hiring tendencies may suggest, talent is not found solely among those born to rich or well-educated families. Policies that actively recruit candidates from all levels of status in society are best positioned to match opportunities to the people best suited for them.”