A third study, meanwhile, found that employers aren't the only ones who think those from higher social classes are more competent: the job candidates think so too. The study found people from upper-class social backgrounds are more likely to be not just confident but overconfident, and that this overconfidence is often mistaken for competence at their jobs despite their actual performance. The paper noted that the ease at which confidence is mistaken for competence could be a contributor to global inequality. It also noted that companies themselves may be putting themselves at risk by conflating outward confidence with ability.

All three studies rely on a distinction between economic class, which is mainly concerned with how much money someone makes and has, and social class, which includes money as a factor but mainly in relation to education and prestige. This is evident from another study, which found for more than half of employers surveyed (60 percent), a college diploma was seen as a stand-in for work ethic, personal skills and mental capacity, as opposed to the actual skills associated with the job. The question, then, is not so much "what did you learn in college" but "are you bright and hardworking?" To these 60 percent of employers, a diploma means the answer to that question is "yes."