Reality or illusion: A qualitative study on interviewer job previews and applicant self-presentation

Job interviews involve an exchange of information between interviewers and applicants to assess fit from each side. But current frameworks on interviewers' job previews and applicants' self-presentation do not completely capture these exchange processes. Using a grounded theory approach, we developed a theoretical model that spans both literatures by showing the complex relationships between job previews and self-presentation in the interview. Our study also introduces a new way of categorizing applicant self-presentation and reveals why interviewers and applicants choose to use certain strategies. Based on 43 qualitative interviews with applicants and interviewers, we identified five dominant applicant self-presentation responses to job preview information: Receding from the Application Process, Reciprocating Reality, Exploiting the RJP, Resisting in Defiance, and Reciprocating Illusion. Furthermore, we found that applicants present many versions of themselves that not only include their actual, favorable, and ought self but also their anticipated-future self. We also identify interviewers' and applicants' conflicting motives for presenting reality and illusion. Our work provides a deeper understanding of job previews and self-presentation by providing a big-picture, yet fine-grained examination of the communication processes from the viewpoint of the applicant and the interviewer, illustrating implications for both parties and proposing new avenues for research.