Recruiter ratings of 338 on‐campus interviews were used in a discriminant analysis procedure to determine the relative importance of the verbal, articulative, and nonverbal dimensions of communication during the job interview. Correlation of seven variables with the discriminant function indicated that appropriateness of content, fluency of speech, and composure were of greatest importance in contributing to a favorable employment decision. These findings were contrary to the recent literature which has emphasized the importance of nonverbal behavior. Implications for job‐interview skills training are discussed, and suggestions for a comprehensive workshop model are presented.

A skills-acquisition treatment for test anxiety was compared with two anxietyreduction conditions, cue-controlled relaxation and meditation, and a practiceonly group in terms of improved test performance. Fifty highly test-anxious subjects representing the most anxious 28% of 232 undergraduates were randomly assigned to one of the four experimental conditions. The three treatment groups received five 90-min training sessions while the practice-only group was given an equal amount of time in practice on a posttreatment analogue test. Results indicated that the skills-acquisition group was superior to the other three conditions in terms of performance on the analogue test as well as grade point average. In addition it was determined that the skills-acquisition group reported greater knowledge of effective test-taking skills and less attentional interference during testing than the other groups. Measures of heart rate and pulse transit time during the analogue testing situation failed to reveal significant group differences. It is suggested that the term test anxiety be retired and that inadequate test performance be reconceptualized as ineffective test taking.

The improvement of job interview skills was studied using 45 paid student volunteers who were drawn equally from business administration and nursing. The students were randomly divided among a behavior training group, a traditional discussion training group, and a control group. Before and after training, all of the students completed a videotaped simulated job interview, which was independently rated by two judges for length of eye contact, length of response, voice affect, loudness of voice, ability to explain skills, openness, positive self-statements, and speech disturbances. After the interviews, the students completed a self-report anxiety measure. The pre-and posttraining scores were compared by univariate analyses of variance and post hoc tests.The students in the three groups reported a similar decrease in anxiety after their training experience. After training, the behavioral group showed a greater increase in eye contact, while the traditional group showed a greater improvement in length of speaking and in ability to explain skills. A combination of the two training techniques might be the most promising workshop model for future job interview training.-

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