Abstract

Hiring managers and segments of the American public believe that white, black, and Hispanic job-seekers present distinct soft skills to employers. Sociologists have not tested this belief and provide competing theories about whether it is likely to be true. Structural theories maintain that different resources and networks inhibit racial groups from displaying similar non-technical skills and experiences, while cultural approaches posit that all groups can access and display a variety of soft skills. Based on a content analysis of 1,124 applications that white, black, and Hispanic job-seekers used to apply for the same job, we find little evidence supporting the belief in racial distinctions in soft skills. Instead, white, black, and Hispanic applicants in our sample presented the same top reasons for applying, the same top personal characteristics, the same top college activities, and were equally likely to follow professional norms. We discuss the generalizability of our findings and their implications for theories of access to these skills.

中文翻译：

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在种族中写作：反对雇主关于种族和软技能的假设的证据

摘要

招聘经理和美国公众群体认为，白人，黑人和西班牙裔求职者为雇主提供了独特的软技能。社会学家尚未检验这种信念，并就其是否可能是真的提出了相互竞争的理论。结构理论认为，不同的资源和网络会阻止种族群体展示相似的非技术技能和经验，而文化方法则认为所有群体都可以使用和展示各种软技能。根据对白人，黑人和西班牙裔求职者曾经申请同一份工作的1,124个申请的内容分析，我们发现很少有证据支持对软技能中种族差异的信念。相反，我们样本中的白人，黑人和西班牙裔申请人提出了相同的申请理由，相同的最高个人特征，相同的最高大学活动，以及同样遵循专业准则的可能性。我们讨论了我们发现的一般性及其对获得这些技能的理论的影响。