Relationships between resumé cues and applicants' personality

Abstract

Human resource (HR) professionals regularly draw personality inferences from applicants' resumés. Building on the lens model, we illuminate resumés' potential for accurately inferring personality by examining valid resumé cues indicating personality. We assessed self-reported big five traits and narcissism of 141 business students at career start applying with resumés for a fictional position. Drawing on personality theory and empirical findings, 70 resumé cues (e.g., appealing look and creative hobbies) were post hoc selected from a larger cue set comprising 160 cues coded by 11 trained coders. Computing bivariate correlations and multiple linear regressions, we identified easy-to-interpret valid resumé cues explaining substantial personality variance, with conscientiousness, openness, and narcissism being best explained by resumé cues (R² > 20%). Although all considered personality traits were expressed in resumé cues, only a fraction of the cues (16 out of 70 cues) were related to personality traits. This suggests a rather mediocre upper limit to the potential of accurately inferring personality from resumés. We contribute to the literature on personality inferences at zero-acquaintance by adding valid resumé cues to recruitment-related information bases allowing to make (somewhat) accurate personality inferences. The results have practical implications for applying resumé-based personality inferences in recruitment and improving HR professionals' accuracy.