This study aims to determine whether candidates’ curriculum vitae generate halo and contrast effects on recruiters’ decisions for a particular professional position. The true experimental design of the study was conducted with the randomized pretest-posttest control group design. A total of 900 university students in tourism participated in the study. A fictional scenario based on recruitment was set up and evaluations were tested with research questions regarding said scenarios. Respondents in control and experiment groups evaluated with fifteen-day intervals the curriculum vitae of different candidates, who applied for a front office department manager position, concerning their professional adequacy, perceived performance, and employability. Findings revealed that respondents base their candidate evaluations on comparisons rather than the requirements of the position. Moreover, respondents are observed to make inferences regarding candidates’ personality traits based on the information they provide in their curriculum vitae. The study empirically reveals that candidate evaluations based on only the content of their curriculum vitae are open to halo and contrast effects. The findings of the study contribute to understanding potential rater bias in recruitment processes.