From first impressions to selection decisions

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how individual interviewers’ dispositional cognitive motivations may influence interview interactions and outcomes. More specifically, this study explores the influence of the need for cognition, need for cognitive closure, and accountability on the relationship between first impressions and selection decisions. Design/methodology/approach In total, 41 graduate students were assigned the role of interviewers and were tasked to interview 331 undergraduate students at a large Midwestern university. The selection interview was designed to recruit qualified undergraduate students to the MBA program of the university. Findings First impressions significantly influenced selection decisions, but did not influence interviewers’ behaviors. Moreover, multilevel analyses reveal that interviewers’ need for cognition and accountability moderate the relationship between first impression and selection decisions, albeit in different direction. Need for cognition strengthens, whereas accountability weakens the relationship between first impression and selection decision. Research limitations/implications A potential interviewer bias is apparent, where interviewers high on need for cognition tend to weight first impressions more in the decision process. However, this bias was not directly observable, since interviewers’ behaviors during the interview were not affected by first impressions. Originality/value The present study goes beyond previous research on first impressions in the employment interview, finding that dispositional differences account for the tendency to weigh first impressions in the selection decision.

First impression effects in organizational psychology.

“…Content cues generally reflect the quality, type, and substance of information first transmitted by the displayer (Cober et al, 2004). Many studies concerned with content cues conceptualize them generally as the quality of messages displayed initially, and use holistic evaluations of either perceivers or objective evaluators to identify whether differences in displayed information content relate to future outcomes (Baum et al, 2016; Florea et al, 2019; Weisband, 1992). Additionally, content cues have been operationalized as the quantity of content cues (Williamson et al, 2010), the quality of cues (Chen et al, 2009), or a combination of both (Gatewood et al, 1993).…”

The Ginevra de’ Benci Effect: Competence, Morality, and Attractiveness Inferred From Faces Predict Hiring Decisions for Women

“…We are aware that the personnel selection process is not exclusively based on facial appearance and that gender inequality is a result of more complex processes. However, it is now demonstrated that evaluators, especially under time pressure and cognitive load, rely on judgmental shortcuts, easily available cues, and lay theories that are misperceived to be predictive of job performance (e.g., Florea et al, 2019). For this reason, early impressions from facial appearance would very likely affect the final hiring decision.…”

Swiftly judging whom to bring on board: How person perception (accurate or not) influences selection of prospective team members

“…For example, Levashina and colleagues (2014) discuss how "rapport-building" can contaminate the validity of interviews. Similarly, Florea et al (2019) explain how initial perceptions of an interviewee can skew selection decisions depending on the interviewer's cognitive motivation.…”