The graduate management trainee preselection interview : Candidates’ perceptions of the influence of interpersonal and communication factors on the interview outcomes

Describes a study which aimed to capture the candidates’ perceptions of a graduate employment interview, in particular how the interviewer’s manner and ability may affect interview outcomes. Eighty‐seven questionnaires were received from graduate candidates immediately after their interviews with an international retailing company based in the UK. Factor analysis produced five factors relating to “interpersonal manner” and two relating to “ability to communicate”. Outlines the findings which were that: the impact made by the interviewer was a function of his/her professional style rather than his/her empathetic behaviour; the degree of empathy shown by the interviewer affected the interviewees’ perceptions of the interviewer’s competence as a supplier of information; and overall satisfaction with the interview was a function of the empathetic behaviour of the interviewer. Discusses the findings in the framework of the “signalling hypothesis” and other communication literature.