Author(s)
Judd Kessler, Corinne Low, Colin D. Sullivan

We introduce a new experimental paradigm to evaluate employer preferences, called Incentivized Resume Rating (IRR). Employers evaluate resumes they know to be hypothetical in order to be matched with real job seekers, preserving incentives while avoiding the deception necessary in audit studies. We deploy IRR with employers recruiting college seniors from a prestigious school, randomizing human capital characteristics and demographics of hypothetical candidates. We measure both employer preferences for candidates and employer beliefs about the likelihood candidates will accept job offers, avoiding a typical confound in audit studies. We discuss the costs, benefits, and future applications of this new methodology.

JEL Codes
J24: Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
J60: Mobility, Unemployment, and Vacancies: General
C93: Field Experiments
Keywords
Preferences
human capital
employment