你一開口,面試官就知道你是哪種人

Job candidates are judged on their social status just a few seconds after they start to speak, according to a new study.

一項新研究發現，求職者開口說話幾秒鐘後，面試官就已經對他們的社會地位做出了判斷。

Hopeful interviewees expect to be evaluated on their experience, conduct and ideas. But new research shows class bias in recruitment is based on just a few seconds of speech - and those first words can shape the way they are assessed in their competence and fitness for a job.

求職者期待面試官根據自己的經驗、表現和想法來評估自己。然而新研究顯示，求職者開口說話才幾秒鐘，面試官就已經對他們形成了階級偏見。那幾句開場白甚至影響到了面試官對求職者能力及是否適合某個職位的評估。

The findings demonstrate that people can accurately assess a stranger's socio-economic position, defined by their income, education, and occupation status, based on brief speech patterns.

這項研究結果表明，人們可以基於簡短的言語模式界定一個人的收入、教育和職業，從而準確判斷一個陌生人的社會經濟地位。

Hiring managers are influenced by these snap perceptions in ways that favor job applicants from higher social classes.

這些第一印象會讓人事經理更偏向於來自更高社會階層的求職者。

Dr Michael Kraus, Assistant Professor at Yale School of Management in the US, said: 'Our study shows that even during the briefest interactions, a person's speech patterns shape the way people perceive them, including assessing their competence and fitness for a job.

美國耶魯大學管理學院的助理教授邁克爾·克勞斯博士說：“我們的研究顯示，即使是在最簡短的互動中，一個人的言語模式也能決定別人對自己的看待方式，包括對他們的能力以及是否適合一份工作作出評估。”

'While most hiring managers would deny that a job candidate's social class matters, in reality, the socio-economic position of an applicant or their parents is being assessed within the first seconds they speak - a circumstance that limits economic mobility and perpetuates inequality.'

“儘管多數人事經理都會否認求職者的社會階層會影響面試結果，但事實上，在求職者開口說話的前幾秒鐘，面試官就已經對求職者或其父母的社會經濟地位作出了評估。這種情況會限制經濟流動性，讓不平等持續下去。”

The researchers based their findings on five separate studies.

這項研究結果基於五項獨立研究。

The first four examined the extent that people accurately perceive social class based on a few seconds of speech.

前四項研究考察了人們基於幾秒鐘的言語來判斷社會階層的準確程度。

Researchers found that reciting seven random words is sufficient to allow people to discern the speaker's social class with above-chance accuracy.

研究人員發現，背誦七個隨機單詞足以讓人們辨別出說話者的社會階層，準確率高於隨機猜測水平。

The researchers also showed that pronunciation cues in an individual's speech communicate their social status more accurately than the content of their speech.

研究人員還指出，根據一個人的發音來判斷社會地位比根據說話內容更準確。

The fifth study examined how these speech cues influence hiring, based on 20 prospective job candidates from varied socioeconomic backgrounds who were recruited to interview for an entry-level lab manager position at Yale.

第五項研究基於20名求職者的面試來考察言語信號是如何影響招聘的。這些求職者擁有不同的社會經濟背景，他們都是應聘耶魯大學一個入門級實驗室經理的職位。

Prior to sitting for a formal job interview, the candidates each recorded a conversation in which they were asked to briefly describe themselves.

在正式面試前，研究人員請每個候選人簡要地描述自己並把這段話錄下來。

A sample of 274 individuals with hiring experience either listened to the audio or read transcripts of the recordings.

然後，研究人員請274名有招聘經驗的人聽上述錄音或閱讀文字記錄。

The hiring managers were asked to assess the candidates' professional qualities, starting salary, signing bonus, and perceived social class based solely on the brief pre-interview discussion without reviewing the applicants' job interview responses or resumes.

研究人員讓人事經理們評估候選人的專業素質、起薪、簽約獎金，並在不看面試表現或簡歷的情況下單憑這段簡短的面試前談話來判斷候選人的社會地位。

Findings suggest the hiring managers who listened to the audio recordings were more likely to accurately assess socioeconomic status than those who read transcripts.

研究結果顯示，聽錄音的人事經理比閱讀文字記錄的人事經理更可能準確評估出候選人的社會經濟地位。

Devoid of any information about the candidates' actual qualifications, the hiring managers judged the candidates from higher social classes as more likely to be competent for the job, and a better fit for it than the applicants from lower social classes.

在缺少候選人資質證明相關信息的情況下，人事經理認爲社會地位高的候選人比社會地位低的候選人更可能勝任、更適合這份工作。

They also assigned the applicants from higher social classes more lucrative salaries and signing bonuses than the candidates with lower social status.

他們還給社會階層高的候選人分配了更豐厚的薪水和簽約獎金。

Dr Kraus added: 'If we want to move to a more equitable society, then we must contend with these ingrained psychological processes that drive our early impressions of others.

克勞斯博士補充道：“如果我們想生活在一個更平等的社會中，我們必須和這些造成第一印象的內在心理機制作鬥爭。”

'Despite what these hiring tendencies may suggest, talent is not found solely among those born to rich or well-educated families.

“儘管在招聘中會有階層偏好，但人才並不只存在於富有家庭或書香門第中。”

The findings were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

這些研究結果發表在《美國科學院院報》上。