Professional Online Profiles: The Impact of Personalization and Visual Gender Cues on Online Impression Formation

P. Saskia Bayerl and Monique Janneck
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P. Saskia Bayerl: Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Monique Janneck: Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Luebeck University of Applied Sciences, Luebeck, Germany

International Journal of Sociotechnology and Knowledge Development (IJSKD), 2013, vol. 5, issue 3, 1-16

Abstract: Online profiles are becoming increasingly important in work contexts from recruiting to termination decisions. The authors conducted two experiments to investigate the effect of profile layout on professional impression formation. Presence or absence of photos had no impact on overall rating or likability, but interacted with profile gender. Male profiles were rated best with photo, female profiles without photo (Study 1, n=264). Placeholders providing only gender cues led to similarly low ratings for male and female profiles (Study 2, n=202). The authors’ findings indicate that visual gender cues have a considerable biasing effect for online impression formation, particularly for women. This study extends our understanding of the gendered nature of professional online settings with implications for HR professionals and organizations as well as users managing their attractiveness on the job markets.

Date: 2013
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