The effects of videoconference, telephone, and face-to-face media on interviewer and applicant judgments in employment interviews

We examined the effects of communication media on judgments in job interviews. Fifty-nine MBA students (applicants) had mock interviews in face-to-face meetings and either by videoconference or telephone. Results show that interviewers evaluated applicants more favorably in telephone versus face-to-face interviews. This difference was stronger for less physically attractive applicants, which suggests that the telephone filtered negative, visual cues. Although interviewers reported more difficulty regulating and understandings discussions by videoconference versus face-to-face, they did not evaluate applicants less favorably by videoconference. In contrast to interviewers, applicants had less favorable reactions in videoconference versus face-to-face interviews for most measures. Implications for media use in employee selection and recruiting are discussed. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.