The effects of interview focus on recruitment effectiveness: A field experiment.

This study investigated the impact of interview focus (i.e., combined recruitment-selection versus recruitment only), interview content, and individual differences on applicants' information acquisition during interviews and persistence in pursuing jobs. Applicants for a position in a research center were studied longitudinally in a randomized experimental design. Results indicated that applicants acquired more information from interviews focusing solely on recruitment. This effect was strength-ened where applicants were low in cognitive ability, high in trait anxiety, and low in self-monitoring. However, applicants involved in combined recruitment-selection interviews were more likely to persist in pursuing the job. The implications of these results for recruiting practice are described