Date of Defense

4-17-2026

Date of Graduation

5-2026

Department

Management

First Advisor

Chen Wang

Second Advisor

Christina Stamper

Abstract

Racial discrimination in the hiring process remains a persistent problem despite decades of anti-discrimination legislation and widespread bias-awareness training. The present study examined whether resume quality and candidate race jointly influence hiring evaluations among human resource professionals, a population with formal training in equitable selection practices. Using a 2 × 2 between-subjects design, 129 HR professionals recruited through Prolific were randomly assigned to evaluate a high- or low-quality resume attributed to either a Black or White candidate. Participant evaluations were assessed across warmth-related and competence-related dimensions derived from the Stereotype Content Model, with Aversive Racism Theory guiding predictions about when and where racial bias would emerge. Results supported Hypothesis 1: high-quality resumes produced significantly more favorable evaluations than low-quality resumes across 15 of 16 outcome variables, as well as both composite warmth and competence scores. Hypothesis 2 received partial support; directional evidence suggested that racial differences were more visible in the low-quality condition, consistent with Aversive Racism Theory's prediction that implicit bias surfaces under evaluative ambiguity. Hypothesis 3 also received partial support: Black candidates were rated significantly lower than White candidates on interpersonal warmth dimensions (works with others and likeability), but not on competence-based evaluations. These findings suggest that racial bias among trained HR professionals is subtle and context-dependent, surfacing most clearly in warmth-based, socially oriented judgments when objective credential information is weak.

Access Setting

Honors Thesis-Open Access

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