Applicant reactions to structured and unstructured recruitment interviews

It is important for organizations to choose the proper recruitment tools, such as the interview, so that talented people will be interested in working for such organizations. Organizations need to take into account applicants' reactions to the interview process because an applicant may not accept a job offer from an organization, if their reaction to the interview is negative and they feel the process is unfair (Hausknecht, Day, & Thomas, 2004).;The present study investigated applicant reactions to different interviews. A 2 x 2 x 2 between-subjects design was used (structured vs. unstructured, warmth vs. no warmth, and encouraged vs. discouraged to apply). The manipulation of structure, warmth, and interviewer decision was manipulated using interview scripts. Eight job interviews were videotaped using the same two people to role play the job applicant and the interviewer. Participants were undergraduate psychology students at a private university in the Northeast. Two hundred and fifty seven participants participated in this experiment. Participants were randomly assigned to one of eight conditions. The participants reviewed the study instructions, job description of a graduate research assistant, and then each participant watched the videotaped scripted interview. The participants then completed a questionnaire measuring their reactions to each interview.;The results suggest that: (1) there was no significant difference regarding the preference of unstructured and structured interviews, (2) Interviews, where the interviewer exhibited warmth, were preferred over interviews showing no-warmth, (3) Encouraged to apply conditions received higher ratings than the discouraged to apply conditions, (4) There was no significant interaction between selection decision and interview structure, (5) There was a marginally significant interaction between selection decision and warmth of interviewer regarding only distributive justice, and (6) There were mediating effects of procedural and interactional justice on the relationship between warmth and recommendation intentions. The results of the study suggest that organizations could use either structured or unstructured interviews. An interviewer who shows warmth will minimize the negative applicant reactions regardless if the applicant is accepted or rejected for a position.