Applicant Anxiety in Structured Interviews

The main goal in talent acquisition is to find and hire the best applicant for each position which places heavy emphasis on an organizations ability to accurately assess candidates. However, an applicant’s anxiety can impede this process as it has been shown to lead to reduced interview scores while not being indicative of work performance. Furthermore, applicant’s anxiety may also impact the amount of faking behaviours that occur in the interview process further distorting the predictive validity of their scores. The proposed research will test one way in which to reduce applicant anxiety by way of a standardized rapport building intervention, while also assessing ways in which anxiety and job fit may impact faking behaviours. This research will capitalize on access to two independent student samples and one applied sample, as well as access to the partner company’s psychometric assessment tool. At the end of the two-year proposed research, this work will result in the creation of a structured interview guide for the partner company as well as two publications for the academic community and fellow on applicant anxiety in selection.

Faculty Supervisor:

Deborah Powell

Student:

Amanda Deacon

Partner:

Plum

Discipline:

Psychology

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

University of Guelph