Effective disclosure strategies for job applicants with a criminal record: addressing the how, why and who to increase hiring intentions

Purpose Individuals with a concealable stigma often face employment discrimination and as a result choose to conceal it in employment settings. However, unlike other concealable stigmas, job applicants with a criminal record are usually forced to reveal their stigma due to background checks. To help job applicants successfully overcome employment barriers, we seek to identify how this population can disclose their record in a way that reduces bias and avoids discrimination. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on the stereotype content model and BIAS map framework, we employ an experimental design in which we manipulate disclosure strategy (integration vs decategorization), controllability of the criminal record (low vs high) and disclosure source (applicant vs professional reference). Findings We found a three-way interaction in which decategorization enhanced recruiters’ hiring intentions via perceived competence of a job applicant with a criminal record but only when controllability was low (criminal record was due to extenuating circumstances vs a character flaw) and the applicant self-disclosed vs having a professional reference disclose the record. Originality/value We extend the literature on concealable stigmas by demonstrating that job applicants with a criminal record can overcome hiring discrimination by crafting a self-disclosure that downplays their record and points out the role of situational factors.