“I stereotype. It’s faster.” So said George Clooney’s character in Up in the Air, and so do all of us.
I just heard a collective gasp from my readers. “Oh, I don’t do stereotypes. I consider each person as an individual!” Liar. We can’t possibly get through life without stereotyping, which is actually just making assumptions based on our past experiences. Clooney’s character used stereotyping to his advantage to get through airport security lines faster. You do it when you’re hiring (as well as picking your airport security line).
Yep. You make judgments not based not on in-depth interviews with each person who applies for a job, but by looking at a resume and judging, from your past experiences with other people who are similar. How do I know this? Well, for one, it’s easier to get hired when you have a job than when you don’t have a job because many recruiters and hiring managers alike assume that all unemployed people must have done something wrong to be in that state. That? A stereotype.
To keep reading, click here: Your Religion Shouldn’t Be On Your Resume (Unless You’re Jewish)