Negative Stereotyping Essay

Edward A. Shaw from University of California conducted a study discussed how negative stereotyping could influence employee selection among two occupational categories; general management and scientific related careers. Shaw stated that negative stereotyping plays significantly in forming interviewer’s perception towards job applicants in general management than scientific related career in employee selection.

To support his hypothesis, he first suggested that interviewers would tend to be more sensitive to negative traits and rely more on implicit personality theory in the situation where they hold ambiguous information in providing job evaluation compared to the interviewer who based on unambiguous materials. Secondly, he indicated halo

The result consists significantly mean differences in three of the four rating criteria for this particular variable. From then until now, female has always treated unequally in the workforce in salary, promotion opportunities, and bonus treatment in comparison to male. This phenomenon still exists in today’s workplace even though larger portion of female had joined the workforce with higher educational background and skills required for job. This problem is resulted from many reasons such as job satisfaction, role in family, and the ranking of the job importance among all the other factors, etc. Nonetheless, despite the establishment of laws to eliminate the possible inequality in workplace, glass ceiling remains as one of the major obstacles to the road of gender equality.

Stereotype is a cognition, which is usually overgeneralized, and negative attitude people hold toward others who are different and beyond one 's own knowledge. It is a result of insufficient or perverted information and experience accepted as general fact without question in social norm. For instance, nurses are female, or firefighters are male are all examples of gender stereotype. Under this circumstance, it can be harder for male applicants in seeking nursing job than female, because the interviewer may hold the beliefs that female is more detail-oriented and careful

Not only gender stereotype, but also race, cultural, and age serotype are some of the major stereotypes among working environment. Organizations are suffering by not recruiting the best-fitted candidate that suit the position due to overly used of falsely judgement based on stereotyping. Instead of depend on the overgeneralized assumption on a candidate’s race, cultural, age, or gender, organization should focus on the general fitness of the particular position without the intervene of wrongful doubt. By applying this strategy, organizations may greatly reduce the recruiting cost and time by spotting the best applicants in the first place, without second or third recruiting processes. In addition, a diverse working team may provide much-enhanced and universal interactions between members that may come out with new, unique, and innovative ideas. Moreover, recruiting diverse background may change or correct the perception of people who stereotypes towards certain group or individual. Fortunately, it can eliminate the wreak havoc on morale and increase the productivity in the workplace.

Furthermore, by conducting a matching test for job positions and job applicants can also reduce the possibility of differential impact of negative stereotyping in employee selection. The test will only focus on the general fitness of the job seeker to the positions, not his or her gender, race, or age.