To hire or not to hire: the influence of accents on hiring decisions

Official URL: https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ijsa.70044

This study explores how accents influence hiring decisions, focusing on evaluations made by non-native speakers. A total of 391 Turkish-speaking university students assessed candidates for tutoring positions for English (a language-relevant role) and math (a non-language-related role). Candidates spoke either Standard American English (SAE), signaling native speaker status, or Turkish-accented English (TAE), reflecting ingroup membership. Results showed that SAE speakers were consistently rated as more competent and preferred for both English and math tutoring positions, regardless of the group membership implied in their CVs. The effect of accents on hiring decisions was mediated by higher competence attribution to standard accents. The findings highlight the strong influence of standard accents in competence attributions, which can overshadow other group membership cues and job specifications, even among non-native evaluators. The results underscore the pervasive nature of accent biases in professional settings, suggesting that competence perceptions tied to standard accents may fuel discrimination across diverse contexts.