Influential communication factors in employment interviews

This study explored the factor structure underlying communication behaviors in employment interviews, and the effects of interviewer gender and age. Results revealed six dimensions of influential communication factors in employment interviews: resourcefulness, written credentials, support for arguments, social attributes, comport-ment, and style. An applicant’s support for arguments and social attributes appeared to be more important to younger recruiters than to older recruiters, but neither gender nor gender by age interaction significantly affected factor importance. The widespread acceptance and use of the employment interviewhas guaranteed that it will continue to be a major means of recruit-ing prospective workers. Although the validity of the employment interview as a means of personnel selection has been challenged (Ulrich & Trumbo, 1965), a significant body of literature now exists regarding the viability of the interview for personnel recruitment. Meta-analyses of the interview have found modest validity in predict-ing job performance (see Arvey & Campion, 1982; Wiesner & Cron-shaw, 1988). Comprehensive reviews of studies on interviews hav