Australian Journal of Psychology (Sep 2020)
How to pose for a professional photo: The effect of three facial expressions on perception of competence of a software developer
Abstract
Objective Prospective employers can nowadays easily access applicants' photos via Internet, for instance on professional and social networks or previous employers' websites. In our study, we investigated whether a facial expression in a picture affects evaluation of one's competence for a position where facial qualities are not crucial, namely a position of a software developer. Method In Study 1, both “models” and participants were employed in IT companies. The experiment followed a 3 x 3 x 2 design, with facial expression (smile, neutral, and thinking) and evaluator's experience in hiring as between‐subjects factors and gender of the model as a within‐subjects factor. Study 2 was a survey among software specialists where we investigated their awareness of the impact of applicant's face on the evaluation of his/her competence. Results When the models smiled, they were perceived as more competent than when they had a neutral expression. When models adopted a thinking pose, they were evaluated as the least competent. Fifty‐five percent of the sample was previously involved in hiring employees; the amount of hiring experience had no impact on this effect. Women were perceived as less competent than men and an interaction analysis revealed that this effect was driven by participants without prior experience in hiring. In Study 2, software specialists assigned a significant role in hiring decisions to the applicant's competent physical appearance, only 10% of participants thought that employers were hardly ever affected by the applicant's face. Conclusion Facial expression in a photo affects perceived competence of applicants for a position of a software developer regardless of evaluators' prior hiring experience for this type of job.
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