Selling Oneself: Construct and Criterion-Related Validity of Impression Management in Structured Interviews

Abstract

Interviewee impression management has been a long-standing concern in the interview literature. Yet recent insights into the impact of impression management on interviewee performance in structured interviews suggest that interviewee impression management may be more than just a source of bias and a nuisance. Rather, impression management should possess construct-related validity and contribute to the interviews' criterion-related validity. These hypotheses were tested with 129 participants using a simulated selection interview aimed at university graduates. Results confirmed most of the hypotheses. In particular, interviewee impression management behavior showed construct-related validity across different structured interview types and correlated positively with interviewees' performance on subsequent typical and maximum performance proxy criteria. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Once an Impression Manager, Always an Impression Manager? Antecedents of Honest and Deceptive Impression Management Use and Variability across Multiple Job Interviews

“…On the one hand, this capacity to adapt one's IM behavior to the situation could be seen as a valuable skill, which is consistent with claims that IM can have some construct-related validity (Kleinmann and Klehe, 2010). On the other hand, because applicants who are better at adapting their IM use are also those who possess undesirable personality profiles (Lee et al, 2005; O'Boyle et al, 2012), valuing such skills could be risky for organizations.…”

The Ability to Identify Criteria: Its Relationship with Social Understanding, Preparation, and Impression Management in Affecting Predictor Performance in a High-Stakes Selection Context

“…The implication is that if those with low ATIC were not producing behaviour to match the station dimension, they could reduce the negative impact on their performance by high use of IM. However, although the benefit of IM has been demonstrated in past research (e.g., Kleinmann & Klehe, 2011;McFarland et al, 2005;Stevens & Kristof, 1995), the current study shows that its positive effect is limited for those with high ATIC. The nonverbal IM assessed in this study may not necessarily be perceived by applicants or interviewers as a negative behaviour, given that doctors are expected to display positive interpersonal communication like maintaining eye contact (Weissmann et al, 2006).…”

Acculturation strategy and individual outcomes: Cultural diversity implications for human resource management

“…The economic rewards associated with assimilation can be helpful in a number of ways. For example, individuals who learn networking practices and develop the ability to sell themselves on their resume and during interviews will increase their opportunities to gain rewarding employment (Kleinmann & Klehe, 2011;Williams, 2004). For those with low levels of CIS, this trade-off between strong potential labor market outcomes and adopting new cultural values will seem minor.…”