This paper discusses results from a laboratory experiment using MBA, MPA, and human resources students.  We created resumes with randomized inputs (work histories, education histories, addresses, etc.) for hypothetical applicants to a clerical position.  We provided sets of these resumes to participants who rated them on a Likert (1-7) scale and then picked two resumes to bring in for an interview.  We found strong evidence of age discrimination based on date of high school graduation as well as evidence for race discrimination based on names.  We did not find direct evidence of gender discrimination, but gender interacts with race and age.  Results are stronger for the interview outcome than for the Likert outcome, a finding that reconciles different findings about age discrimination in psychology laboratory experiments.

Our results highlight the importance of intersectionality in how workers are perceived in the labor market.  Results on race discrimination for younger workers are not the same as results on race discrimination for older workers.  Age, gender, race, and unemployment duration interact in ways such that policy recommendations for one group may not apply for another group.  Employers may be looking for different qualities in applicants for one type of position than they are for another.   However, much of the field research on discrimination, particularly recent prominent audit studies, has been limited by examining very specific segments of the labor market.  

Our results demonstrate strong effects of intersectionality for age, particularly for race, and for race and gender.  We reconcile differing results among several recent audit studies through this lens of intersectionality.  We discuss how future resume audit studies can easily incorporate intersectionality in their design in order to provide better recommendations for older job seekers and for human resources departments trying to make unbiased hires.