Examining the impact of applicant smoking and vaping habits in job interviews

Abstract

Cigarette and electronic-cigarette users (i.e. vapers) are increasingly stigmatized in both society and the workplace. We examine effects of this stigmatization in the selection process by testing whether interviewers’ negative initial impressions of smokers and vapers extend throughout the interview. We used a dual-process framework of interviewer bias against stigmatized applicants, comprised of Type I-automatic and Type II-systematic processes, and conducted two experiments where US and Canadian participants enacted the role of an interviewer in video-based job interview simulations. Consistent with Type I processes, results show that cigarette smokers, and to lesser extent vapers, were initially rated as less qualified than non-smokers. These initial impressions were not subjected to justification/rationalization during the interview via harder questions asked. However, they served as anchors, also consistent with Type I processes, and impacted final assessments alongside Type II adjustments based on applicants’ response quality. Additionally, using attentional eye tracking data, we found that raters with worse attitudes toward smoking, but not vaping, glanced at stigma cues more frequently, which went on to influence first impressions. These findings provide valuable tests of key components of the dual-process model of interviewer bias, and raise concerns around the devaluation of smokers and vapers in hiring decisions.