An Exploratory Test of the Contingency Approach to Recruitment Interview Decisions

Abstract

A review of the research literature on college recruitment shows the impact of a candidate's interviewing skill on hiring decisions is equivocal. Whereas some investiga tions suggest an interviewee's verbal and nonverbal communication behavior plays the most important role, other research indicates it is the written information which in fluences selection decisions most. This investigation tested a contingency explanation for these discordant results, that is, the influence of an applicant's interviewing skills on recruiters' recommendations depends upon the relevancy of effective oral com munication to the position in question. Two hundred and forty recruiters were placed into one of 12 experimental groups in which the significance of effective oral com munication skills to the position, candidate verbal and nonverbal communication skills, and application qualifications were varied. Results from a 3 x 2 x 2 analysis of variance were mixed. Although effective oral communicators were more likely to be reco...