This study examines the relationship among demographic factors, interview
communication patterns, and interview outcomes. Specifically, we treated the
interview as an interactive communication event by pairing and coding inter
viewer and applicant statements made in employment interviews to examine
whether or not gender or race affected interview communication patterns and
outcomes. Our findings indicate that gender and race factors had no direct
impact on interview outcomes (i.e., ratings and referrals) nor did these factors
indirectly affect outcomes through communication patterns.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Aries, E. (1976). Interaction patterns and themes of males, females, and mixed groups. Small Group Behavior, 7, 7-18.
2.
Arvey, R. (1979). Unfair discrimination in the employment interview: Legal and psychological aspects. Psychological Bulletin, 86, 736-765.
3.
Arvey, R., & Campion, J. (1982). The employment interview: A summary and review of recent research. Personnel Psychology, 35, 281-322.
4.
Arvey, R., & Faley, R. (1988). Fairness in selecting employees. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
5.
Bjorkquist, P. (1987). Liberal arts graduates and job search: The employer's perspective. Journal of Employment Counseling, 24, 137-143.
6.
Byrne, D. (1971). The attraction paradigm. New York: Academic Press.
7.
Campion, M., Pursell, E., & Brown, B. (1988). Structured interviewing: Raising the psychometric properties of the employment interview. Personnel Psychology , 41, 25-42.
8.
Carli, L. (1989). Gender differences in interaction style and influence . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 56, 565-576.
9.
Cash, T., Gillen, B., & Burns, D. (1977). Sexism and "beautyism" in personnel consultant decision making. Journal of Applied Psychology, 62, 301-307.
10.
Cissna, K., & Carter, D. (1982). The employment interview workshop: A focus on communication skills. Journal of Employment Counseling, 19, 57-66.
11.
Cohen, S., & Bunker, K. (1975). Subtle effects of sex role stereotypes on recruiters hiring decisions. Journal of Applied Psychology, 60, 566-572.
12.
Courtright, J., Fairhurst, G., & Rogers, L. (1989). Interaction patterns in organic and mechanistic systems. Academy of Management Journal, 4, 7732D802
13.
Crosby, F., & Nyquist, L. (1977). The female register: An empirical study of Lakoff's hypothesis. Language in Society, 6, 313-322.
14.
Dipboye, R. (1992). Selection interview: Process Perspective. Cincinnati: Southwestern Publishing.
15.
Dipboye, R., Arvey, R., & Terpstra, D. (1977). Sex and physical attractiveness of raters and applicants as determinants of resume evaluation. Journal of Applied Psychology, 62, 288-294.
16.
Dipboye, R., Fromkin, H., & Wiback, K. (1975). Relative importance of applicant sex, attractiveness, and scholastic standing in evaluation of job applicant resume. Journal of Applied Psychology, 60, 39-43.
17.
DiSalvo, V., & Larsen, J. (1987). A contingency approach to communication skill importance: The impact of occupation, direction, and position. The Journal of Business Communication, 24, 3-22.
18.
Eagly, A. (1987). Sex differences in social behavior: A social role interpretation. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
19.
Eakins, B., & Eakins, G. (1976). Verbal turn-taking and exchange in faculty dialogue . In B. DuBois and I. Crouch (Eds.), The sociology of language of American women (pp. 53-62). San Antonio, TX: Trinity University.
20.
Eakins, B., & Eakins, G. (1978). Sex differences in human communication. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
21.
Eder, R., & Buckley, M. (1988). The employment interview: An interactionist perspective . In G. Ferris and K. Rowland (Ed.), Research in Personnel and Human Resource Management (pp. 75-107). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
22.
Einhorn, L. (1981). An inner view of the job interview: An investigation of successful communicative behaviors. Communication Education , 30, 217-228.
23.
Ellis, D. (1976). An analysis of relational communication in on-going groups systems. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Utah, Salt Lake City.
24.
Fairhurst, G., Rogers, L., & Sarr, R. (1987). Manager and subordinate control patterns and judgments about the relationship. In M. McLaughlin (Ed.), Communication Yearbook, 10 (pp. 395-415). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
25.
Fisher, B. (1983). Communication pragmatism. Another legacy of Gregory Bateson. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 10, 38-49.
26.
Fishman, P. (1983). Interaction: The work women do. In N. Henley (Ed.), Language, gender, and society (pp. 89-101). Rowley, MA: Newbury.
27.
Fletcher, C. (1983). Sex of interviewer as an influence on interviewee perceptions. Journal of Social Psychology, 22, 169-170.
28.
Geddes, D. (1992). Sex roles in management: the impact of varying power and speech style on union members perceptions of satisfaction and effectiveness . The Journal of Psychology, 6, 589-607.
29.
Glauser, M., & Tullar, W. (1985). Citizen satisfaction with police officer/citizen interaction: Implications for the changing role of police organizations. Journal of Applied Psychology, 70, 514-527.
30.
Graves, L. (1993). Sources of individual differences in interviewer effectiveness: A model and implications for future research. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 14, 349-370.
31.
Graves, L., & Powell, G. (1988). An.investigation of sex discrimination in recruiters' evaluation of actual applicants. Journal of Applied Psychology , 73, 20-28.
32.
Haefner, J. (1977). Race, age, sex, and competency as factors in employer selection of the disadvantaged. Journal of Applied Psychology , 62, 199-202.
33.
Harris, M. (1989). Reconsidering the employment interview: A review of recent literature and suggestions for future research. Personnel Psychology, 42, 691-726.
34.
Hollandsworth, J., Kazelskis, R., Stevens, J., & Dressel, M. (1979). Relative contribution of verbal articulation, and non-verbal communication to employment decisions in the job interview setting. Personnel Psychology, 32, 359-367.
35.
Jablin, F. (1985). An exploratory study of vocational organizational communication socialization. Southern Speech Communication Journal, 50, 261-282.
36.
Jablin, F., & McComb, K. (1984). The employment screening interview: An organizational assimilation and communication perspectives. In R. Bostrom (Ed.), Communication Yearbook, 8 (pp. 137-163). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
37.
Jackson, S., Brett, J., Sessa, V., Cooper, D., Julin, J., & Peyronnin, K. (1991). Some differences make a difference: Individual dissimilarity and group heterogeneity as correlates of recruitment, promotion, and turnover. Journal of Applied Psychology, 76, 675-689.
38.
Kane, E., & McCaulay, L. (1993). Interview gender and gender attitudes. Public Opinion Quarterly, 57, 1-28.
39.
Kennedy, C., & Camden, C. (1981). Gender differences in interrupting behavior: A dominance perspective. International Journal of Women's Studies , 4, 135-142.
40.
Kimble, C., Yoshikawa, J., & Zehr, H. (1981). Vocal and verbal assertiveness in same-sex and mixed-sex groups. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 40, 1047-1054.
41.
Kinicki, A., & Lockwood, C. (1985). The interview process: An examination of factors recruiters use in evaluating job applicants. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 26, 117-125.
42.
Kollock, P., Blumstein, P., & Schwartz, P. (1985). Sex and power in interaction: Conversational privileges versus duties. American Sociological Review, 50, 34-46.
43.
Lakoff, R. (1975). Language and women's place. New york: Harper Colophon Books.
44.
Liden, R., & Parsons, C. (1986). A field study of job applicant interview perceptions, alternative opportunities, and demographic characteristics. Personnel Psychology, 39, 109-122.
45.
Lin, T., Dobbins, G., & Farh, J. (1992). A field study of race and age similarity effects on interview ratings in conventional and situational interviews. Journal of Applied Psychology, 77, 363-371.
46.
Mayfield, E. (1964). The selection interview: A reevaluation of published research. Personnel Psychology, 17, 239-260.
47.
McDonald, T., & Hakel, M. (1985). Effects of applicant race, sex, suitability, and answers on interviewer's questioning strategy and ratings. Personnel Psychology, 38, 321-334.
48.
McIntyre, S., Moberg, D., & Posner, B. (1980). Preferential treatment in preselection decisions according to sex and race. Academy of Management Journal, 23, 738-749.
49.
McMillan, J., Clifton, A., McGrath, D., & Gale, W. (1977). Women's language: Uncertainty or interpersonal sensitivity and emotionality? Sex Roles, 3, 545-559.
50.
Mintzberg, H. (1979). An emerging strategy of "direct" research. Administrative Sciences Quarterly, 24, 582-589.
51.
Newton, B. (1973). Statistics for business. Chicago : SRA.
52.
Nunnally, J.C. (1967). Psychometric theory. New York : McGraw Hill.
53.
O'Barr, W., & Atkins, B. (1980). "Women's language" or "powerless language"? In S. McConnell-Ginet, R. Borker, & N. Furman (Eds.), Women and language in literature and society (pp. 93-110). New York: Praeger.
54.
Parsons, C., & Liden, R. (1984). Interviewer perceptions of applicant qualifications: A multivariate field study of demographic characteristics and nonverbal cues . Journal of Applied Psychology, 69, 557-569.
55.
Pfeffer, J. (1985). Organizational demography: Implications for managers . California Management Review, 28, 67-81.
56.
Rand, T., & Wexley, K. (1975). Demonstration of the effect, "similar to me", in simulated employment interviews. Psychological Reports , 36, 535-544.
57.
Raza, S., & Carpenter, B. (1987). A model of hiring decision in real employment interviews. Journal of Applied Psychology, 72, 596-603.
58.
Rogers, L., & Farace, R. (1975). Analysis of relational communication dyads: New measurement procedures. Human Communication Research, 1, 222-239.
59.
Rogers, W., & Jones, S. (1975). Effects of dominance tendencies on floor holding and interruption behavior in dyadic interactions. Communication Research, 1, 113-122.
60.
Sagrestano, L. (1992). The use of power and influence in a gendered world . Psychology of Women Quarterly, 16, 439-447.
61.
Schmitt, N. (1976). Social and situational determinants of interview decisions: Implications for the employment interview. Personnel Psychology, 29, 79-101.
62.
Schmitt, N., & Klimoski, R. (1991). Research methods in human resource management . Cincinnati: South-Western.
63.
Simkins-Bullock, J., & Wildman, B. (1991). An investigation into the relationship between gender and language. Sex Roles, 3/4, 149-160.
64.
Soloman, C. (1990). Careers under glass. Personnel , 69, 96-105.
65.
Spencer, J., & Drass, K. (1989). The transformation of gender into conversational advantage: A symbolic interactionist approach. The Sociological Quarterly, 30, 363-383.
66.
Spitzack, C., & Carter, K. (1987). Women in communication studies: A typology for revision. Quarterly Journal of Speech, 73, 401-423.
67.
Street, R. (1986). Interaction processes and outcomes in interviews . In. M. McLaughlin (Ed.), Communication Yearbook, 9 (pp. 215-250). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
68.
Swacker, M. (1975). The sex of speaker as sociolinguistic variable . In B. Thorne and N. Henley (Eds.), Language and sex: Difference and dominance (pp. 76-83). Rowley, MA: Newbury House.
69.
Tannen, D. (1990). You just don't understand: Women and men in conversation . New York: Ballatine.
70.
Thorne, B., & Henley, N. (1975). Language and sex: Differences and dominance. Rawley, MA: Newbury Books.
71.
Tinsley, H., & Weiss, H. (1975). Interrater reliability and agreement of subjective judgment. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 22, 358-376.
72.
Tosi, H., & Einbender, S. (1985). The effects of the type and amount of information in sex discrimination: A meta-analysis. Academy of Management Journal, 28, 712-723.
73.
Tsui, A., & O'Reilly. C. (1989). Beyond simple demographic effects: The importance of relational demography in superior-subordinate dyads. Academy of Management Journal, 32, 402-423.
74.
Tullar, W. (1989a). The employment interview as a cognitive performing script. In R.W. Eder, & G.R. Ferris, (Eds.), The employment interview: Theory, research and practice (pp. 127-138). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
75.
Tullar, W. (1989b). Relational control in the employment interview . Journal of Applied Psychology, 74, 971-977.
76.
Ugbah, S., & Majors, R. (1992). Influential communication factors in employment interviews. The Journal of Business Communication, 29, 145-159.
77.
Ulrich, L., & Trumbo, L. (1965). The selection interview since 1949. Psychological Bulletin, 63, 100-116.
78.
United States Department of Labor. (1988). Opportunity 2000: Creating affirmative action strategies for a changing workforce . Indianapolis: Hudson Institute .
79.
Wagner, R. (1949). The employment interview: A critical summary. Personnel Psychology, 2, 17-46.
80.
Watson, K. (1982a). A methodology for the study of organizational behavior in interpersonal level of analysis. Academy of management Journal, 7, 392-402.
81.
Watson, K. (1982b). An analysis of communication patterns: A method for discriminating leader and subordinate roles. Academy of Management Journal, 25, 107-120.
82.
West, C., & Zimmerman, D. (1983). Small insults: A study of interruptions in cross-sex conversations between unacquainted persons. In N. Henley (Ed.), Language, gender, and society (pp. 103-117). Rowley, MA: Newbury.
83.
Wexley, K., & Nemeroff, W. (1974). The effects of racial prejudice, race of applicant, and biographical similarity on interviewers evaluations of job applicants . Journal of Social and Behavioral Sciences, 20, 66-78.
84.
Wiesner, W., & Cronshaw, S. (1988). A meta-analytic investigation of the impact of interview format and degree of structure on the validity of the employment interview. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 61, 275-290.
85.
Wiley, M., & Wooley, D. (1988). Interruptions among equals. Power plays that fail . Gender and Society, 2, 90-102.
86.
Wright, O. (1969). Summary of research on the selection interview since 1964. Personnel Psychology, 33, 391-413.
87.
Zimmerman, D., & West, C. (1975). Sex roles, interruptions and silence in organizations . In B. Thorne and N. Henley (Eds.), Language and sex: Difference and dominance (pp. 105-129). Rowley, MA: Newbury House.
