Impression Management Profiles in Job Interviews: Relations with Applicant Individual Differences and Interview Outcomes

• Published in: Journal of business and psychology 2024-08, Vol.39 (4), p.849-870
• Main Authors: Moon, Benjamin, Daljeet, Kabir N., Bourdage, Joshua S., Roulin, Nicolas
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applicants; Behavior; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Business and Management; Community and Environmental Psychology; Employment interviews; Industrial and Organizational Psychology; Original Paper; Personality and Social Psychology; Psychology; Social Sciences; Validation studies
• ISSN: 0889-3268; 1573-353X
• DOI: 10.1007/s10869-023-09918-3

In job interviews, applicants’ use of impression management (IM) tactics is central to our understanding of the interview process. However, while theory indicates that applicants combine IM tactics meaningfully to attempt to create specific impressions, we know little about how applicants use IM tactics in combination , and the individual differences and outcomes associated with these combinations. The current study used Latent Profile Analysis to 1) determine how applicants combine IM tactics in job interviews (i.e., IM profiles), and 2) explore their construct validity by assessing relations with applicant individual differences (i.e., age, gender, HEXACO personality traits, and cognitive ability) and interview outcomes (i.e., interview performance, receiving a follow up interview or a job offer). Participants consisted of undergraduate business students participating in high-fidelity mock interviews with real interviewers ( N = 516) and a broader applicant sample who recalled their most recent job interview ( N = 1042). In both samples, a five-profile solution provided the best model fit. The five profiles were distinct in terms of the levels of overall IM, self- vs. other-focus, and honest vs. deceptive IM use. These profiles were replicated across both samples. Furthermore, the five IM profiles demonstrated meaningful relations with applicant disposition and interview outcomes in ways that provide support for the construct validity of these profiles. In addition, some of these relationships differed from relations with individual IM tactics, highlighting unique values of a profile-based approach to IM. This study provides a nuanced insight of how applicants combine IM tactics in job interviews.