Purpose This study contributes to the ecological validity
of resume research by systematically examining the
impression management (IM) content of actual resumes
and cover letters and empirically testing the effect on
applicant evaluation.
Design/methodology/approach A content analysis of the
frequency and intensity of IM tactic use in 60 resumes and
cover letters was completed (Study 1). Next, an experiment
was conducted in which IM tactic use was manipulated and
the effect on applicant evaluation examined, using a sam-
ple of MTurk workers as evaluators (Study 2).
Findings In Study 1, four self-promotion categories, three
ingratiation categories, and one hybrid category were
delineated. In Study 2, ingratiation and lower intensity self-
promotion were found to increase perceptions of job and
organization fit.
Implications Employers should be aware that resumes and
cover letters contain IM tactics that may influence appli-
cant evaluation. In addition, employment training programs
might communicate the benefits of using ingratiation and
lower intensity self-promotion, while emphasizing the
importance of accurately conveying one’s qualifications.
Furthermore, the present taxonomy of IM resume content
might be applied to resume database search engines to
identify and index IM tactic use.
Originality/value This research is the first to develop a
taxonomy of IM tactics based on actual resumes and cover
letters and may facilitate more comprehensive

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• Impression Management Use in Resumes and Cover Letters