This study investigates whether CPA recruiters are more likely to interview candi
dates with one-page résumés or candidates with two-page résumés when candidates
are highly and similarly qualified graduating seniors with accounting majors. One-
and two-page résumés for four fictitious, entry-level job candidates were created
and grouped in six combinations using a split-split-plot design. Packets containing
the different combinations of the four candidates' résumés (two one-page and two
two-page résumés in each case) were mailed to 570 personnel recruiters from Big
Six accounting firms (now the Big Five).
Respondents were asked to read and rank the résumés as if they were those of
real candidates for entry-level positions. Results indicate that recruiters ranked
candidates with two-page résumés more favorably than candidates with one-page
résumés, suggesting that graduating seniors with accounting majors and outstand
ing credentials should consider writing two-page résumés if they apply for entry-
level Big Five accounting positions. The paper also argues for industry-specific
empirical testing of recruiters' résumé preferences, with its own methodology
offered as an example.
Bauernfeind, R.H. (1967). The matter of ipsative scores. In D. A. Payne & R. F. McMorris (Eds.), Educational and psychological measurement: Contributions to theory and practice (pp. 215-224). Waltham, MA: Blaisdell.
4.
Baxter, N. (1987, Spring). Résumés, application forms, cover letters, and interviews. Occupational Outlook Quarterly, 31, 16-23.
5.
Bird, C.P., & Puglisi, D. (1986). Method of reproduction and evaluation of employee suitability. The Journal of Business Communication, 23(3), 31-39. Bortoli, N. (1997, August). Résumés in the right: New rules make writing a winner easier . Manage, 49, 20-21.
6.
Brockman, E.B., & Belanger, K.R. (1993). You-attitude and positive emphasis: Testing received wisdom in business communication. The Bulletin of the Association for Business Communication, 56(2), 1-5.
7.
Brown, M. (1988, June). Black Enterprise, 28, 81.
8.
Charles, P.J. (1988). Résumés without clutter. Management World, 17(5), 19-20.
9.
Charney, D.H., & Rayman, J.R. (1989). The role of writing quality in effective study résumés. The Journal of Business and Technical Communication3, 36-53.
10.
Charney, D., Rayman, J., & Ferreira-Buckley, L. (1992). How writing quality influences readers' judgments of résumés in business and engineering. The Journal of Business and Technical Communication6, 38-74.
11.
Cohen, S.L. (1976, Fall). The basis of sex-bias in the job recruitment situation. Human Resource Management, 15, 8-10.
12.
Dutton, G. (1996, May). Getting the right job: A matter of what else you know. Management Review, 85, 6.
13.
Emig, J. (1971). The composing processes of twelfth graders. Urbana, IL: NCTE.
14.
Flowers, L., & Hayes, J. (1981). The pregnant pause: An inquiry into the nature of planning. Research in the Teaching of English, 15, 229-243.
15.
Fowler, A. (1995, April 6). How to make the best use of a CV. People Management, 1, 44-45.
16.
Hakel, M.D., Dobmeyer, T.W., & Dunnette, M.D. (1970). Relative importance of three content dimensions in overall suitability ratings or job applicants' résumés. Journal of Applied Psychology, 54, 65-71.
17.
Hakel, M.D., Ohnesorge, J.P., & Dunnette, M.D. (1970). Interviewer evaluations of job applicants' résumés as a function of the qualifications of the immediately preceding applicants: an examination of contrast effects. Journal of Applied Psychology, 54, 27-30.
18.
Harcourt, J., & Krizan, A.C. (1989). A comparison of résumé content preferences of Fortune 500 personnel administrators and business communication instructors . The Journal of Business Communication, 26, 177-190.
19.
Harcourt, J., & Krizan, A.C. (1991). Résumé content: A comparison of personnel administrators' and hiring officials' preferences. Southwest Business Review , 1(2), 55-73.
20.
Holley, W.H., Higgins, E., & Speights, S. (1988, December). Résumés and cover letters: What do HR managers really want? Personnel, 65, 49-51.
21.
Hutchinson, K. (1984). Personnel administrators' preferences for résumé content: A survey and review of empirically based conclusions. The Journal of Business Communication, 21(4), 5-14.
22.
Hutchinson, K.L., & Brefka, D.S. (1997). Personnel administrators' preferences for résumé content: Ten years after. Business Communication Quarterly , 60(2), 67-75.
23.
Landy, F.J., & Bates, F. (1973). Another look at contrast effects in the employment interview. Journal of Applied Psychology, 58, 141-144.
24.
Lannon, J.M. (1997). Technical writing (7th ed.). New York: Longman.
25.
Locker, K.O. (1997). Business and administrative communication (4th ed.). Boston: Irwin.
26.
Marino, K. (1994). Best résumés for accounting and financial professionals . New York: John Wiley & Sons .
27.
Markel, M. (1998). Technical communication: Situations and strategies (5th ed.). New York: St. Martin's.
28.
McDowell, E. (1987). Perceptions of the ideal cover letter and the ideal résumé. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication , 17, 177-189.
29.
McGee, M.K. (1998, April 20). Price Waterhouse makes sense of résumé chaos. Informationweek [On-line] 678. Available: http://gilligan.prod.oclc.org:3059/FETC...t=html/fs_fulltext.htm%22:/fstxt204.htm
30.
Office Systems, 13(8), 9-10.
31.
Morton, R.L. (1996, May/June). How to write a winning résumé. Healthcare Executive, 11, 44-45.
32.
North, Stephen. (1987). The making of knowledge in composition: Portrait of an emerging field. Upper Montclair: Boynton/Cook .
33.
Odell, L., Goswami, D., & Herrington, A. (1983). The discourse-based interview: A procedure for exploring the tacit knowledge of writers in nonacademic settings . In P. Mosenthal (Ed.), Research on writing: Principles and methods (pp.221-236). New York: Longman.
34.
Oliphant, V.N., & Alexander, E.R. Iii. ( 1982). Reactions to résumés as a function of résumé determinateness, applicant characteristics, and sex of raters. Personnel Psychology , 35, 829-842.
35.
Penrose, J.M. (1984). A discrepancy analysis of the job-getting process and a study of résumé techniques. The Journal of Business Communication, 21(3), 5-15.
36.
Quible, Zane K. (1995). Electronic résumés: Their time is coming. Business Communication Quarterly58(3), 5-9.
37.
Raunch, H. (1997, June). Résumé writing: Art meets science. Facilities Design and Management, 16, G6-G7.
38.
Ryan, R. (1995). 21 ways to improve your résumé. Journal of Accountancy [Online], 180 (6). Available: http://gilligan.prod.oclc.org:3059/FETC...t=html/fs_fulltext.htm%22:/fstx112.htm
39.
Shelby, A.N., & Reinsch, L. (1995). Positive emphasis and you-attitude: An empirical study. The Journal of Business Communication, 32, 303-327.
40.
Sherblom, J.C., Sullivan, C.F., & Sherblom, E.C. (1993). The what, the whom, and the hows of survey research. The Bulletin of the Association for Business Communication, 56(4), 58-63.
41.
Spinks, N., & Wells, B. (1987). Letters of application and résumés: A comparison of corporate views. The Bulletin of the Association for Business Communication, 50(3), 9-16.
42.
Spinks, N., & Wells, B. (1993). Are preferences of small companies likely to agree with those of large corporations concerning résumés and application letters ? The Bulletin of the Association for Business Communication , 55(3), 28-29.
43.
Suchan, J. (1998). The effect of high-impact writing on decision-making within a public sector bureaucracy. The Journal of Business Communication, 35, 299-327.
44.
Vitiello, J. (1995, January 23). Recharge your résumé. Computerworld, 29, 106.
45.
Voss, R. (1983). Janet Emig's "The composing process of twelfth graders": A reassessment. College Composition and Communication , 34, 278-283.
46.
Walworth, C. (1998). Job tips from a grumpy old editor. American Journalism Review, 20(4), 15.
47.
Zikmund, W.G., Hitt, M.A., & Pickens, B.A. (1978). Influence of sex and scholastic performance on reactions to job applicant résumés. Journal of Applied Psychology , 63, 252-254.
