I doubt whether I would have cared if an applicant was they, them, he, she, or it. Qualifications far outweighed any other considerations in deciding whether
A report from Business.com finds that there is discrimination against “non-binary” people. At least, non-binary people believe there is discrimination. “Over 80% of nonbinary people believe that identifying as nonbinary would hurt their job search,” the report finds. Also, 51% believe their gender identity has “affected their workplace experience.”
Business.com sent out two identical “phantom” resumes to “180 unique job postings that were explicitly open to entry-level candidates” in an effort to test “whether or not the inclusion of gender-neutral pronouns impacts how employers perceive resumes.”
“Both featured a gender-ambiguous name, ‘Taylor Williams.’ The only difference between the test and control resumes was the presence of gender pronouns on the test version,” Ryan McGonagill said in the report. “The test resume included ‘they/them’ pronouns under the name in the header.”
“The phantom resume including pronouns received 8% less interest than the one without, and fewer interview and phone screening invitations,” according to CNBC’s “Make It.”
Eight percent is not a huge difference in such a small sample, especially when the “test” has no way to rule out other factors that may have impacted a manager’s decision not to call back.
