Technology-mediated interviews have become one of the primary interviewing tools for talent acquisition. However, previous studies have been relatively limited to examine the physical contextual environment of interviewees. As a step toward understanding the relationship between physical contextual factors and perceptions of employment suitability, this research focused on the effects of physical backgrounds and background tidiness of interview applicants on perceptions of employment suitability in technology-mediated interviews, where a sample of 309 hiring managers evaluated hypothetical job candidates’ profiles. The post hoc results demonstrated that there were significant job candidates gender interaction effects on the perception of competence. Notably, when a relatively tidy room is evaluated, female interviewees are more negatively weighted than male interviewees regarding perceived competence. However, when an untidy room is evaluated, female interviewees are weighted more favorably than male interviewees, in part because untidy features activate a positive counter stereotype. Furthermore, the results indicated that female interviewees are evaluated as less competent than male interviewees in a kitchen that coincides with female stereotypes.
