Inferential judgment in the employment interview

Date

1990-12

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Texas Tech University

Abstract

This study investigated the role of person perception in the outcome of the employment interview and hiring decision. The work of Douglas Jackson and his colleagues identified the personality traits which correlate highest with a given occupation. These traits were found to be stable across raters, thus indicating a common network of inferential judgment regarding the implicit nature of the personality trait cue within the occupation.

Scripts were videotaped which imbedded either positively correlated or negatively correlated personality trait cues within the interview. Judges rated the applicant on the following dependent variables: attractiveness, likability, intelligence, experience, employability, and hire ability. A 2 x 4 design (Congruence x Occupation) was used. Four occupations, accountant, advertiser, industrial supervisor, and orchestral librarian, made up the occupation variable. Incongruent or congruent personality trait cues made up the second independent variable.

Two-way ANOVAs were computed on the six subscales and the overall scale. The results revealed that the congruent candidate was rated more attractive, likable, intelligent, experienced, employable, hirable, and more generally favorable overall than the incongruent candidate. It was also determined that halo bias affected the ratings.

Description

Keywords

Employment interviewing, Personality, Employee selection

Citation