Interventions to Improve the Candidate Experience of Structured Videoconference Interviews

Abstract

Intense competition for talent has led to increased organizational focus on improving how applicants perceive and respond to selection tools. Because of the recent increased use of technology in selection, we tested whether modifying aspects of videoconference interviews could improve applicant reactions. We tested two interventions—structured rapport building and question provision—with 205 applicants applying for a research assistant position. Applicants were randomly assigned to either an experimental condition (rapport or question provision) or the control condition and participated in a structured videoconference interview, followed by a survey. Structured rapport building had no significant effect on applicant reactions. However, question provision improved applicants’ perceptions of overall fairness and chance to perform—but not their reported anxiety, relative to the control condition. Question provision appears to be a simple and cost-effective intervention that could be used in a structured videoconference interview context to help to improve the applicant reactions.