Using a Different Standard: The Impact of Applicant's Expression of Spiritual Values on Rater Interest in Additional Information

Abstract

To test the impact of applicant spiritual-materialistic values on the types of information raters a rater would inquire about in subsequent decisions, a network sample of raters were provided with a packet of information about a job applicant, the company to which he was applying, and the number of qualified applicants in the region. Values of the job applicant were manipulated by showing the rater one of four spiritual-materialistic cover letters in which the applicant expressed a materialistic orientation, a spiritual orientation, a combined materialist-spiritual orientation or a no-information control. Number of qualified applicants was manipulated as part of a brief set of bullet points that provided raters mock information about the company and position. Results show that depending on market conditions, the expression of spiritual values, either by itself or in combination with materialistic values, create a need for additional information about the applicant. The results are discussed in relationship to values and ethics issues in future research.

Keywords:

• Values
• decision making
• employee selection
• spirituality