Alcohol makes you “less hireable”

Job applicants who order alcohol during an interview conducted over dinner are less hireable than those who order a soft drink, according to a new study.

The findings are from a recent study conducted by University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business.

According to the research conducted in the US with 109 participants, drinking alcohol during an interview triggers an “imbibing idiot bias.”

Even if the interviewer offers the drink, and even if the interviewer is also drinking, the job candidate who drinks alcohol is less likely to receive the job offer. The bias apparently stems from the association of alcohol with cognitive impairment.

The study goes even further and claims just holding an alcoholic drink is enough to significantly reduce the probability of receiving a job offer.

“Job candidates who ordered alcohol in simulated interviews were perceived as less intelligent and less hireable – though no less likeable, honest or genuine – than those who did not, regardless of whether the boss ordered an alcoholic beverage first,” the report stated.

“Moreover, even if the boss ordered the drink for the job candidate (i.e. the candidate did not choose to drink), the result was the same. This suggests that the imbibing idiot bias does not reflect a belief that less intelligent people are more likely to consume alcohol, but rather an implicit association between alcohol and cognitive impairment.’

The full report can be downloaded here.