Uncertainties regarding applicant quality
Abstract
Is the removal of applicants’ identifying information an efficient way to introduce equal opportunities in the labor market? Taking as its hypothesis that these uncertainties are a key issue in understanding recruitment activities and explaining why the anonymous resume (AR) is not the ideal solution, this chapter details how this idea emerged in France to fight discrimination and presents the paradoxical results of an experimental protocol that measured the AR’s impact on discrimination. The results are based on a qualitative study (120 interviews) and show that the AR destabilizes the whole recruitment process and the actors involved. It seems very difficult to erase the identity of an applicant without affecting the interpretation of the CV and its narrative quality.