By adapting methods used to measure anxiety in physical employment interview, this study in the first stage identifies levels of anxiety induced in a computer-mediated interview setting. In the second stage, the study examines the mediating role of practice interview process in reducing interview anxiety and explores the moderating effects of gender and prior work experience on the relationship between remote interview anxiety and performance outcome. It utilizes partial least squares structural equation modeling to test the direct and mediation effect based on 245 responses received from job aspirants. As in a physical interview, anxiety in a remote situation is related to one’s level of preparation and perception of interviewing self-efficacy. The results reveal a significant positive effect of preparation satisfaction on self-efficacy perception of interview performance and significant negative effect of self-efficacy perception and preparation satisfaction on remote interview anxiety. Practice-interview process significantly mediated the performance outcome; however, the moderating effect of gender and work experience was found to be insignificant. Practical implications: Findings from this study have far-reaching implications for educators and professionals working toward mitigating anxiety during the employment selection processes in computer-mediated setting.
BanduraA.LockeE. A. (2003). Negative self-efficacy and goal effects revisited. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(1), 87–99. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.1.87
2.
BarrickM. R.ShafferJ. A.DeGrassiS. W. (2009). What you see may not be what you get: Relationships among self-presentation tactics and ratings of interview and job performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94(6), 1394–1411. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016532
3.
BaschJ. M.MelchersK. G.KegelmannJ.LiebL. (2020). Smile for the camera! The role of social presence and impression management in perceptions of technology-mediated interviews. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 35(4), 285–299. https://doi.org/10.1108/jmp-09-2018-0398
4.
BeckerG. S. (1962). Investment in human capital: A theoretical analysis. Journal of Political Economy, 70(5, Part 2), 9–49. https://doi.org/10.1086/258724
5.
BertoliniS.GoglioV. (2017). The demand for qualified personnel: A case study on northern Italy. Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, 7(1), 51–69. https://doi.org/10.1108/heswbl-03-2016-0014
6.
BlacksmithN.WillfordJ.BehrendT. (2016). Technology in the employment interview: A meta-analysis and future research agenda. Personnel Assessment and Decisions, 2(1), 12–20. https://doi.org/10.25035/pad.2016.002
7.
BourdageJ. S.RoulinN.TarrafR. (2018). “I (might be) just that good”: Honest and deceptive impression management in employment interviews. Personnel Psychology, 71(4), 597–632. https://doi.org/10.1111/peps.12285
ChatterjeeS. (2006). A quantitative assessment of the role of agglomeration economies in the spatial concentration of U.S. employment. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.944907
10.
ChengB. H.McCarthyJ. M. (2018). Understanding the dark and bright sides of anxiety: A theory of workplace anxiety. Journal of Applied Psychology, 103(5), 537–560. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000266
11.
ChinW. W.PetersonR. A.BrownS. P. (2008). Structural equation modeling in marketing: Some practical reminders. Journal of marketing theory and practice, 16(4), 287–298.
12.
CohenJ. (1988). Set correlation and contingency tables. Applied Psychological Measurement, 12(4), 425–434.
13.
Connor-SmithJ. K.FlachsbartC. (2007). Relations between personality and coping: A meta-analysis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 93(6), 1080–1107. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.93.6.1080
14.
ConstantinK. L.PowellD. M.McCarthyJ. M. (2021). Expanding conceptual understanding of interview anxiety and performance: Integrating cognitive, behavioral, and physiological features. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 29(2), 234–252. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijsa.12326
15.
CrosbyO. (2000). Employment interviewing: Seizing the opportunity and the job. Occupational Outlook Quarterly, 44(2), 14–21.
16.
CubukcuF. (2008). A study on the correlation between self efficacy and foreign language learning anxiety. Online Submission, 4(1), 148–158.
17.
CunnienK. A.MartinRogersN.MortimerJ. T. (2009). Adolescent work experience and self-efficacy. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 29(3/4), 164–175. https://doi.org/10.1108/01443330910947534
18.
Dacre PoolL.SewellP. (2007). The key to employability: Developing a practical model of graduate employability. Education + Training, 49(4), 277–289. https://doi.org/10.1108/00400910710754435
19.
DaftR. L.LengelR. H. (1986). Organizational information requirements, media richness and structural design. Management Science, 32(5), 554–571. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.32.5.554
20.
FeeneyJ. R.McCarthyJ. M.GoffinR. (2015). Applicant anxiety: Examining the sex-linked anxiety coping theory in job interview contexts. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 23(3), 295–305. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijsa.12115
21.
FeilerA. R.PowellD. M. (2013). Interview anxiety across the sexes: Support for the sex-linked anxiety coping theory. Personality and Individual Differences, 54(1), 12–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2012.07.030
22.
FornellC.LarckerD. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39–50. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800104
23.
GbadamosiG.EvansC.RichardsonM.RidolfoM. (2015). Employability and students’ part-time work in the UK: Does self-efficacy and career aspiration matter?British Educational Research Journal, 41(6), 1086–1107. https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.3174
24.
GefenD.StraubD. (2005). A practical guide to factorial validity using PLS-graph: Tutorial and annotated example. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 16, 91–109. https://doi.org/10.17705/1cais.01605
GibbonsF. X. (1990). Self-evaluation and self-perception: The role of attention in the experience of anxiety. Anxiety Research, 2(3), 153–163. https://doi.org/10.1080/08917779008249333
27.
GuderganS. P.RingleC. M.WendeS.WillA. (2008). Confirmatory tetrad analysis in PLS path modeling. Journal of Business Research, 61(12), 1238–1249. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2008.01.012
28.
HairJ. F.RingleC. M.SarstedtM. (2013). Partial least squares structural equation modeling: Rigorous applications, better results and higher acceptance. Long Range Planning, 46(1–2), 1–12.
29.
HallP.Jr.GoshaK. (2018, June18-20). The effects of anxiety and preparation on performance in technical interviews for HBCU computer science majors [Conference session]. Proceedings of the 2018 ACM SIGMIS Conference on Computers and People Research, Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY. https://doi.org/10.1145/3209626.3209707
30.
HansenK.OliphantG. C.OliphantB. J.HansenR. S. (2009). Best practices in preparing students for mock interviews. Business Communication Quarterly, 72(3), 318–327. https://doi.org/10.1177/1080569909336951
31.
HenselerJ.RingleC. M.SarstedtM. (2014). A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 43(1), 115–135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-014-0403-8
32.
HornR.BehrendT. (2017). Video killed the interview star: Does picture-in-picture affect interview performance?Personnel Assessment and Decisions, 3(1), 51–59. https://doi.org/10.25035/pad.2017.005
33.
HuangJ. (2020). Successes and challenges: Online teaching and learning of chemistry in higher education in China in the time of COVID-19. Journal of Chemical Education, 97(9), 2810–2814. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c00671
34.
HudakK.KileA.GrodziakE.KeptnerE. (2019). Advancing student interview skills: Incorporating virtual interview technology into the basic communication course. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 13(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.20429/ijsotl.2019.130103
35.
HuffcuttA. I.Van IddekingeC. H.RothP. L. (2011). Understanding applicant behavior in employment interviews: A theoretical model of interviewee performance. Human Resource Management Review, 21(4), 353–367. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2011.05.003
36.
JeskeD.ShultzK. S.OwenS. (2018). Perceived interviewee anxiety and performance in telephone interviews. Evidence-based HRM, 6(3), 320–332. https://doi.org/10.1108/ebhrm-05-2018-0033
37.
JonesD. B.PinkneyJ. W. (1989). An exploratory assessment of the sources of job-interviewing anxiety in college students. Journal of College Student Development, 30(6), 553–560.
38.
KatzmanM. A.BleauP.BlierP.ChokkaP.KjernistedK.Van AmeringenM.; the Canadian Anxiety Guidelines Initiative Group on behalf of the Anxiety Disorders Association of Canada/Association Canadienne des troubles anxieux and McGill University (2014). Canadian Anxiety Disorders Guidelines Initiative: Clinical practice guidelines for the management of anxiety, posttraumatic stress and obsessive-compulsive disorders. BMC Psychiatry, 14(Suppl 1), S1. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-244x-14-s1-s1
39.
KniffinK. M.NarayananJ.AnseelF.AntonakisJ.AshfordS. P.BakkerA. B.BambergerP.BapujiH.BhaveD. P.ChoiV. K.CrearyS. J.DemeroutiE.FlynnF. J.GelfandM. J.GreerL. L.JohnsG.KesebirS.KleinP. G.LeeS. Y., . . . VugtM. V. (2021). COVID-19 and the workplace: Implications, issues, and insights for future research and action. American Psychologist, 76(1), 63–77. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000716
40.
LangerM.KönigC. J.GebhardP.AndréE. (2016). Dear computer, teach me manners: Testing virtual employment interview training. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 24(4), 312–323. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijsa.12150
41.
LangerM.KönigC. J.KrauseK. (2017). Examining digital interviews for personnel selection: Applicant reactions and interviewer ratings. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 25(4), 371–382. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijsa.12191
42.
LukacikE.BourdageJ. S.RoulinN. (2022). Into the void: A conceptual model and research agenda for the design and use of asynchronous video interviews. Human Resource Management Review, 32(1), 100789. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2020.100789
43.
MaroufizadehS.HosseiniM.Rahimi ForoushaniA.Omani-SamaniR.AminiP. (2018). Application of the dyadic data analysis in behavioral medicine research: Marital satisfaction and anxiety in infertile couples. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 18(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-018-0582-y
44.
MaurerT. J.SolamonJ. M. (2006). The science and practice of a structured employment interview coaching program. Personnel Psychology, 59(2), 433–456. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2006.00797.x
45.
MaurerT. J.SolamonJ. M.LippstreuM. (2007). How does coaching interviewees affect the validity of a structured interview?Journal of Organizational Behavior, 29(3), 355–371. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.512
McCarthyJ. M.GoffinR. D. (2005). Selection test anxiety: Exploring tension and fear of failure across the sexes in simulated selection scenarios. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 13(4), 282–295. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2389.2005.00325.x
48.
McCarthyJ. M.TruxilloD. M.BauerT. N.ErdoganB.ShaoY.WangM.LiffJ.GardnerC. (2021). Distressed and distracted by COVID-19 during high-stakes virtual interviews: The role of job interview anxiety on performance and reactions. Journal of Applied Psychology, 106(8), 1103–1117. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000943
49.
McCollR.MichelottiM. (2019). Sorry, could you repeat the question? Exploring video-interview recruitment practice in HRM. Human Resource Management Journal, 29(4), 637–656. https://doi.org/10.1111/1748-8583.12249
McLeanC. P.AsnaaniA.LitzB. T.HofmannS. G. (2011). Gender differences in anxiety disorders: Prevalence, course of illness, comorbidity and burden of illness. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 45(8), 1027–1035. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2011.03.006
52.
MelchersK. G.PetrigA.BaschJ. M.SauerJ. (2021). A comparison of conventional and technology-mediated selection interviews with regard to interviewees’ performance, perceptions, strain, and anxiety. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.603632
53.
MoynihanL. M.RoehlingM. V.LePineM. A.BoswellW. R. (2003). A longitudinal study of the relationships among job search self-efficacy, job interviews, and employment outcomes. Journal of Business and Psychology, 18, 207–233.
54.
PittC. R.BellA.StrickmanR.DavisK. (2019). Supporting learners’ STEM-oriented career pathways with digital badges. Information and Learning Sciences, 120(1/2), 87–107. https://doi.org/10.1108/ils-06-2018-0050
55.
PowellD. M.StanleyD. J.BrownK. N. (2018). Meta-analysis of the relation between interview anxiety and interview performance. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science / Revue canadienne des sciences du comportement, 50(4), 195–207. https://doi.org/10.1037/cbs0000108
56.
ProbstT. M.JiangL.López BohleS. A. (2019). Job insecurity and impression management. Career Development International, 25(3), 306–324. https://doi.org/10.1108/cdi-04-2018-0119
57.
ProostK.DerousE.SchreursB.HagtvetK. A.De WitteK. (2008). Selection test anxiety: Investigating applicants’ self- vs other-referenced anxiety in a real selection setting. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 16(1), 14–26. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2389.2008.00405.x
58.
ProostK.GermeysF.VanderstukkenA. (2020). Applicants’ pre-test reactions towards video interviews: The role of expected chances to demonstrate potential and to use nonverbal cues. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 30(2), 265–273. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432x.2020.1817975
59.
QenaniE.MacDougallN.SextonC. (2014). An empirical study of self-perceived employability: Improving the prospects for student employment success in an uncertain environment. Active Learning in Higher Education, 15(3), 199–213. https://doi.org/10.1177/1469787414544875
60.
SarstedtM.RingleC. M.SmithD.ReamsR.HairJ. F. (2014). Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM): A useful tool for family business researchers. Journal of Family Business Strategy, 5(1), 105–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfbs.2014.01.002
61.
SchmidtA. M.DeShonR. P. (2010). The moderating effects of performance ambiguity on the relationship between self-efficacy and performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 95(3), 572–581. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0018289
62.
SchudlikK.ReinhardM.MüllerP. (2020). Prepared to fake? The relationship between applicants’ job interview preparation and faking. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 29(1), 29–54. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijsa.12317
63.
ShortJ.WilliamsE.ChristieB. (1976). The social psychology of telecommunications. London: Wiley.
64.
StansfieldK. G. (1960). A review of: “Hawthorne revisited: Management and the worker, its critics, and developments in human relations in Industry”. By H, A. Landsberger. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University. 1958. Ergonomics, 3(2), 178–178. https://doi.org/10.1080/00140136008930482
65.
StoccoC. S.ThompsonR. H.HartJ. M.SorianoH. L. (2017). Improving the interview skills of college students using behavioral skills training. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 50(3), 495–510. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaba.385
TamresL. K.JanickiD.HelgesonV. S. (2002). Sex differences in coping behavior: A meta-analytic review and an examination of relative coping. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 6(1), 2–30. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327957pspr0601_1
68.
TrossS. A.MaurerT. J. (2008). The effect of coaching interviewees on subsequent interview performance in structured experience-based interviews. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 81(4), 589–605. https://doi.org/10.1348/096317907x248653
69.
VenardosM. G.HarrisM. B. (1973). Job interview training with rehabilitation clients: A comparison of videotape and role-playing procedures. Journal of Applied Psychology, 58(3), 365–367. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0036267
70.
VillaniD.RotaspertiC.CipressoP.TribertiS.CarissoliC.RivaG. (2017). Assessing the emotional state of job applicants through a virtual reality simulation: A psycho-physiological study. In GiokasK.BokorL.HopfgartnerF. (Eds.), eHealth 360° (Lecture notes of the Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering, pp. 119–126). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49655-9_16
71.
WaskoM. L.FarajS. (2005). Why should I share? Examining social capital and knowledge contribution in electronic networks of practice. MIS Quarterly, 29(1), 35–57. https://doi.org/10.2307/25148667
