An Examination of Attractiveness Biases in the Context of Hiring Through Social Networking Sites Lisa S. Paik Ohio University Comila Shahani-Denning Hofstra University Rodger W. Griffeth Ohio University The impact of physical attractiveness and amount of information presented through LinkedIn was examined in this study. Participants recruited through the professional networking site, LinkedIn, were asked to look at one of six LinkedIn profiles and make judgments based on the information presented. The study design was a 3 x 2 between-subjects factorial design in which the factors were attractiveness x amount of information. Analyses revealed no support for the effects of attractiveness or amount of information presented on subjective evaluations of several job-related outcomes. However, post-hoc exploratory analyses revealed important findings with regards to age and gender of participants. INTRODUCTION As an employer or hiring manager it is important to choose the right applicants for a position. Emphasis must be placed on the relevant knowledge the potential employee has of the roles and duties required on the job, the skills needed to be successful and to produce the required results, and the capabilities the individual must possess in order to obtain these results. This is true not only for the position, but also for the organization. Failure to properly take into account all relevant factors when selecting applicants could result in severe repercussions, including lawsuits against the organization, tarnished reputations, and decreases in performance, ultimately affecting profitability (Maclane & Walmsley, 2010; Outtz, 2010). However, judgments can become clouded by the introduction of certain irrelevant information, which may lead to an improper evaluation of the candidate’s performance potential. Therefore, it is necessary to be aware of biases that may sway one’s decision from choosing one applicant over another. These biases may arise at any stage of employment, but are generally more pronounced when minimal information is known about the individual (Neuberg & Fiske, 1987), and may be the case when investigating potential job candidates through Internet networking sites. Sites like LinkedIn have become very popular and recruiters often review information about applicants from these sites (Heathfield, 2013). Unfortunately, to date, there has been minimal information on selection biases in the context of Internet networking sites. Thus, the present study is 52 Journal of Organizational Psychology vol. 14(1) 2014