I’ve written a number of times about the benefits we can derive when we find our purpose in life, so it’s perhaps not too surprising that many job adverts actively seek those with a sense of passion about what they do.  Whilst this is to a large part understandable, a recent Stanford University study suggests it may not have the desired effect.

There are a spectrum of emotions people are happy to exhibit, with some quite comfortable being exuberant and outward going, whereas others prefer to be calmer and more reserved.  Such differences are especially evident between cultures, but do these differences influence hiring managers?

The researchers conducted a number of experiments in various workplace scenarios where they compared European Americans and Asian Americans living in the United States with Chinese living in Hong Kong.

Cultural differences

For instance, in one experiment, participants were asked to apply for a vacancy, with their application accompanied by a video introducing themselves.  The researchers asked them the kind of emotions they wanted to convey in the video.  It transpired that this ‘best impression’ varied considerably across cultures, with European Americans keen to convey enthusiasm and excitement, with Asians keener on calmness.

This also transpired in their written applications, with European Americans much more likely to express excitement about their work and the vacancy than their Asian peers.

“How we want to feel and what our culture tells us is the right way to be influences how we present ourselves when we are applying for a job,” the researchers say.

Interestingly, this also influenced things from the recruiters perspective.  A second experiment asked people to rate candidates, identifying the ideal characteristics they should have.  It transpired that European American recruiters wanted people to show excitement, whereas Asian recruiters preferred calmness.

“In the US, career counselors and job advisers often tell applicants to be excited and enthusiastic when applying for jobs,” the researchers say. “It is important to recognize that this message is shaped by our culture, and it may not be right or feel natural for everyone.”

It’s a level of cultural bias that the researchers believe leads to discrimination in recruitment as this is very much a gut instinct rather than a rational belief.  What’s more, they believe this could be exacerbated by the desire to hire candidates based upon their ‘cultural fit’ with the organization.

“One problem with hiring for cultural fit is that employers assume that is the only way to thrive at their organization,” they say. “However, in work settings, there are many tasks in which a calm and level-headed employee may out-perform an excited and passionate one.”

This could result in a significant reduction in diversity in the workplace, which could have a knock on effect on everything from productivity to creativity.  If diverse workplaces are something we want, then the emotional qualities we look for in job applicants is something we will have to be aware of.