15 July 08 – Publication of DWP research report 510: Talking Like a Manager: promotion interviews, language and ethnicity

Research published today by the DWP shows that there are persistent but indirect and intangible barriers to ethnic minority groups progressing into management positions.

The study used data from interviews, discussions and recorded job interviews to explore how the job interview and organisational cultures promoted or suppressed ethnic minority progression. The findings reinforce the need for organisations to scrutinise their Equal Opportunities practices as well as their policies.

Main findings:

• First generation ethnic minority candidates seem to fare less well than others at promotion interviews. The research concludes that this is because specific cultural and linguistic knowledge about the job interview is required. Candidates born abroad are less likely to have this expert knowledge and so suffer a linguistic penalty at interview. In other words, candidates born abroad are less able to present themselves in a way which the interviewers expect.
• Penalties for candidates emerge partly because job interviews are constructed from dominant ethnic majority norms and values. For example, competency frameworks have been built in the context of the white (Anglo) majority ethnic culture. These may be unfamiliar to candidates born abroad. As such, job interviews are not culturally neutral, despite efforts to ‘level the playing field’ with Equal Opportunities policies.
• The job interview is a specific practice that contributes to indirect discrimination but other barriers relate to issues within organisations that affect satisfaction and morale. This suppression of job satisfaction and morale, in turn, suppresses race equality as ethnic minority candidates fail to put themselves forward for promotion.

Notes to editors:

1. The DWP research report 510: Talking Like a Manager: promotion interviews, language and ethnicity is published on 15 July 2008.
2. The study builds on an earlier research project, Talk on Trial, which examined entry-level job interviews. The research audio/video recorded job interviews to see how ethnic minority candidates fared. It revealed that although there was no evidence of direct discrimination, job interviews indirectly discriminated against candidates born abroad. A copy of this report is available at: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/report_abstracts/rr_abstracts/rra_344.asp.
3. This follow-on study explored the question of how interviews for promotion performed for candidates with a range of ethnicities. The study used mixed methods: interviews, discussion data and recorded job interviews. The recorded job interviews were analysed using discourse analysis.
4. Jobcentre Plus and the Department for Work and Pensions has published two DVDs to help candidates be successful at interviews – one is aimed at interviewers, the other at interviewees. These DVDs are a product of the research on entry-level job interviews. They are: Successful at Selection: fair interviewing in a diverse society and Frequently Asked Questions and Quickly Found Answers: the great British job interview. These are available from the Department. For copies contact liz.such@dwp.gsi.gov.uk
5. The analysis was undertaken by the Kings College London.  The report’s authors are Celia Roberts, Sarah Campbell and Yvonne Robinson.

 

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Website: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/rports2007-2008/rrep510.pdf
Prepared by: Department for Work and Pensions Welfare to Work Directorate