In this activity, you will formulate action steps to reduce the impact of stereotypes on hiring decisions. After completing the assigned readings and discussion topics, you will examine the stereotypes you hold, analyze how they formed, their impact on the decisions you make about applicants and employees, and what steps you can take to improve selection choices.
Task Description
1.Use the following categories of job applicants: a.Black working mother
b.Southerner (middle-aged male)
c.Physically challenged
d.American Indian
e.Lesbian
f.Gay
g.Overweight male
h.Hispanic
i.Muslim female
j.Asian American (recent college graduate)
2.Starting at the “conclusion” rung on the Ladder of Inference introduced in Topic 1(http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMC_91.htm © Mind Tools Ltd, 1996–2012. All rights reserved) and working backward down to the “reality and facts” rung, trace the origin of your perceptions (“conclusions”) of four of the nine categories of job applicants.
3.Prepare a three- to four-page paper that discusses your findings and concludes with your ideas about how you, as a hiring manager, could use this information about yourself to make more informed decisions about the people you hire.