What is Etiquette Today? Interviewing Etiquette for Today’s College Student

Abstract

As societal norms continue to evolve, it is not altogether clear what constitutes proper interviewing etiquette today. With a sample of 290 recruiters across three industry segments (business, education and social services, and science and technology), the present study sought to determine what interviewing etiquette practices recruiters value. Among a pool of 20 items, our findings highlight that recruiters most highly value being on time for the interview, shaking hands properly, and exhibiting a neat and professional appearance. At the same time, there was a fair amount of variability in recruiters' values regarding handwritten thank you notes, the use of slang, and exhibiting tattoos. Furthermore, there were significant differences across the three industry segments.