Applicant Identity Congruence in Selection Decision Making: Implications for Alejandro and Consuela

A scenario study was conducted to determine the impact of identity congruence on selection decisions. Participants were provided identical resumes for either Alejandro or Consuela followed by information from reference checks. Hypotheses were developed to test the impact of finding out information that called into question the Latino/a identity of the applicants. Results were strongest for gender and, consistent with the study's hypotheses, participants favored Alejandro prior to the reference check information. The results also demonstrated the importance of conducting reference checks as the evaluations between the applicants were equalized once the additional information was provided.