Management impressions and decision making in job interviews

The aim of the study, that used between-subject experimental design, was to analyze the relationship between impression management by job seekers and the interviewer's hiring decision. A description was given of a mid-level position interview, including responses of five supposed candidates, each using one of the impression management (IM) strategies: self-promotion, ingratiation, exemplification, intimidation, or supplication. The participants were 99 human resource professionals, randomly distributed in each of the five experimental conditions. For hypothesis testing, analyzes of correlation, variance and T-test were used. The ANOVA showed that the strategies of self-promotion and exemplification were more associated with the decision to hire. The self-promotion strategies related to non-verbal behaviors (maintaining upright posture, holding eye contact) also had positive impact on the hiring decision. The interviewer's length of experience increases the hiring chances for the candidate who uses the self-promotion strategy. Relationships between nonverbal behaviors and personal, physical attributes of the candidate were found only for the self-promotion and ingratiation strategies. There is evidence that the use of IM strategies and nonverbal behavior play an important role in the hiring decision.

Personnel evaluation; Job interview; Decision making; Non-verbal behavior; Impression Management