The co-construction of a gatekeeping encounter: An inventory of verbal actions

Beyond ‘Greeting’ and ‘Thanking’: Politeness in Job Interviews

“…Candidate 6's attempt was picked up by the interviewer, and from turns 72-89, we find that the formal interview session has temporarily morphed into a less formal conversation on a personal topic. This is similar to what Kerekes (2007Kerekes ( , p. 1962 identified as "chit-chat…talk that did not pertain to the job interview itself, and was, unnecessary in conveying jobinterview-related information". Features of co-construction such as over-lapping turns, infrequent pauses and frequent latching were found suggesting signs of budding solidarity (Kerekes 2007).…”

“…Secondly, we have also identified that by raising and asserting common grounds, candidates are able to highlight similarities and establish solidarity with the interview and this strategy could lead to perceptions of trustworthiness (Kerekes 2006(Kerekes , 2007. While we found that most of the candidates often used technical jargons and discipline-related knowledge and skills in their responses (especially when talking about their internship experience), we suggest that the 'common grounds' may also include other non-discipline related topics which draws the interviewer's attention.…”

“…By drawing on the similar IKEA experience (Extract 8), the candidate was able to establish "chit-chat" with the interviewer. Kerekes (2007Kerekes ( , p.1962 argues that chit-chats could "establish friendly and easy rapport between the interlocutors" as well as "lessen the hierarchical nature of the gatekeeping encounter" and this feature was only present in successful interviews. In this case, Kerekes' argument seems to be proven true, judging from the interviewer's responses earlier in Extract 2 as compared to those in Extract 8.…”

“…Moreover, when rapport and solidarity is established, the interviewer tends to be more lenient with or even overlooks problems that arise in the interview as well as constructs better impressions of the interviewee and this could lead to success in the interview (Kerekes 2007(Kerekes , p. 1962.…”

“…Based on Brown & Levinson's (1999, p. 324) framework, clarification requests during interviews can be considered a threat to the negative face because the interviewer is asked to do something for the candidate, hence impeding on his freedom. Kerekes (2007Kerekes ( , p. 1964 found that candidates frequently had to ask the interviewer for clarification and their technique range from recast to overt admissions of not understanding. Similarly, recasts and overt admissions were also identified in our study.…”