Decision making in the employment interview: An experimental approach

Abstract

Used a model of social perception in a simulated employment interview to evaluate the model's potential for investigating the selection process. 112 undergraduates (judges) listened to a recording of a simulated interview and judged the likelihood that an applicant would manifest certain related behaviors and the suitability of the applicants for 2 occupations (accountant and engineer). Interrater reliabilities for groups of judges rating the behavioral characteristics of each applicant exceeded .99. Measures derived from the social perception model indicated that there was a high degree of consensus regarding the perceived network of behavioral covariation for both applicants, although there were noticeable individual differences in ability to perceive applicant characteristics. The group consensus judgments attributed a pattern of associated behaviors to the applicants that accurately reflected the known characteristics of the applicants, as well as the empirical covariation of these behaviors obtained from an earlier study by T. F. Siess and the 2nd author (1970). The suitability judgments accurately reflected the job criterion information as presented to the judges. Implications of using implicit criteria related to behavioral characteristics in evaluating job applicants are noted. (42 ref) (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)