The relationship between age and job performance evaluations for entry-level professionals

This study examined the relationship between age and job performance evaluations for newcomers recently hired into entry-level positions in public accounting firms. We predicted and found a negative relationship between age and job performance evaluations. This relationship was eliminated after controlling for undergraduate grade average and prior work experience, operationalized as the number of jobs that a newcomer had previously held. Results are discussed in terms of the possibility of negative age effects in entry-level positions and the potential reasons for such findings.