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Running head: NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION IN A JOB INTERVIEW
Interpersonal Communication:
Nonverbal Communication in a Job Interview
Hannah Brown
University of Kentucky
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NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION IN A JOB INTERVIEW
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Abstract
Job interviews are a setting specifically in which first impressions are extremely
important. The impression a job applicant makes on their potential employer is based on two
things during the interview itself: what the applicant says, and the way the applicant
communicates with the interviewer nonverbally. More times than not, it has been proven that
nonverbal communication during these interviews is more important than what the applicant
says. Nonverbal cues during an interview can either make or break the chances the applicant has
at receiving the job at hand. Throughout this literature review, five different research studies will
be analyzed to reveal the importance of nonverbal communication during a job interview. These
studies will expand on if nonverbal communication can determine meaningful personality
attributions, gender differences in self-awareness of smiling, media bias, the interaction of
gender, verbal, and nonverbal cues in same-sex first encounters, among other topics as well. The
key point linking these research studies reveals that nonverbal communication is a prominent
deciding factor in a job interview.
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Nonverbal Communication in a Job Interview
Nonverbal communication is a vital component of interpersonal communication.
Nonverbal communication is defined as “messages expressed by nonlinguistic means” (Adler,
2007). Adler describes several distinguishable characteristics of nonverbal communication. First,
nonverbal skills are vital. Second, all behavior has communicative value. Third, nonverbal
communication is primarily relational. Fourth, nonverbal communication serves a variety of
functions, including repeating, complementing, substituting, accenting, regulating, and
contradicting. Next, nonverbal communication offers deception clues. Last, nonverbal
communication is ambiguous. Also, Adler claims there are certain influences on nonverbal
communication. These include gender and cultural differences. There are also many different
types of ways to communicate nonverbally. First, there is body movement, including body
orientation, posture, gestures, face, and eyes. Second, voice is a determinant of nonverbal
communication. Third, touch influences nonverbal communication. Fourth, appearance is
another way to communicate nonverbally, including physical attractiveness and clothing.
Another component of nonverbal communication is physical space, including distance and
territoriality. Next, physical environment affects nonverbal communication. Last, time is a
determinant of nonverbal communication. The research question of this topic that will be
analyzed is “How much of your emotion is revealed through nonverbal cues during a job
interview?” This will be accomplished through examining several different research studies
completed on this topic. Current research is also still being completed; hence, this topic is still
developing as further research findings are reported. (Adler, 2007)
During job interviews, it is possible that nonverbal cues can be used to make meaningful
personality attributions in employment interviews. This claim was exemplified in a research
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study completed by DeGroot and Gooty. This article looks at studying the connections between
nonverbal cues and performance in interviews due to personality attributes. Personality traits of
the job applicant affect the interviewer’s evaluation of their suitability for the job. To conduct
this study, a specific structure for an interview for a company was developed in which the
company sought management potential. Because this interview was structured and different
interviewers evaluated the same candidate different ways, reveals that the interviewers must have
been picking up on something else during the interview that was not derived from their verbal
answers to the prompted questions. This study revealed several important things. First, it
revealed that no matter how structured the interview was nonverbal cues caused the interviewers
to assign specific characteristics to the job applicants. Second, specific characteristics revealed
certain connections in this study. Conscientiousness explained the connection between visual
cues and interview ratings. Extroversion explained the connection between vocal cues and
interview ratings. Neuroticism gave a negative connotation for visual and vocal cues. This study
continues to infer that if nonverbal cues are ridden off as bias, job related behavior and
information would be more easily focused on. Also, this study proves that although interviewers
are trained to be unbiased, they still pick up on nonverbal cues and respond to them. This is
attributed to cultural socialization, which means that humans respond to nonverbal behavior by
natural instinct. In conclusion, this article revealed that nonverbal communication may affect
interview judgments of the job applicant, regardless of the applicants’ qualifications or answers
to the interviewers’ questions. (DeGroot & Gooty, 2009)
Another theme of nonverbal communication is that it attempts to expand on sex
differences in self-awareness of smiling during a mock job interview. A second research study
analyzing this theme was completed by Woodzicka. This study researched the difference
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between men and women in their awareness of smiling during a job interview. Obviously, men
and women communicate very differently in a social setting, but this study questioned if this
extended to communication during job interviews for the same position. The major difference
between nonverbal communication of men and women is smiling, in that women tend to smile
more often than men. This could be linked to a variety of reasons, including smiling in women
could be linked to less social power, subordinate feelings, the need to please, or gender norms.
Also, women who do not smile are judged more harshly than men who do not smile. Several
studies reveal that women are expected to smile and believed to be smiling more than men.
However, a more prominent question this study expands, are women more self-aware that they
are smiling? This study took into account whether men and women were aware of false smiling.
Also, self-awareness of smiling during a job interview could be important because at least one
type of smile has been found to lead to negative ratings. However, it is important to judge the
type of smile and the context of the situation in which the smile was shown. Studies reveal that
genuine smiles give ratings of increased sincerity, and the likelihood to hire the job applicant;
whereas, non-genuine smiles give negative evaluations of competence and intelligence of the job
applicant. Finally, this study looked to reveal the intended outcomes of smiling. This study
revealed that women were more aware of false smiling, and used false smiling to hide negative
feelings and pretend to be more animated. Interviewers rated women who false smiled more
negatively than men who false smiled. In conclusion, this article revealed that a simple act of
nonverbal communication such as smiling can be a big determinate of the likelihood of whether
the job applicant will be hired, and also that there are different societal expectations for men and
women for smiling during a job interview. (Woodzicka, 2008)
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A third theme involved in nonverbal communication is examining the media bias in
interviewers’ nonverbal behavior. A third research study discussing this theme was completed by
Babad and Peer. This article looks to reveal the effect media has on an interviewer prior to giving
a job interview. Media plays a strong role because of its implications of influence on the public,
and its influence on viewers. For this issue, bias and distortions become prominent to understand
the processing of information in persuasion. The effects of media bias are evident in public
broadcasting, especially in times of crisis. In this study, interviewers watched a political
interview with either a friendly or a hostile interviewer. Then the interviewer rated the
impression of the job applicant, whose behavior was constant in both scenarios. This study
wanted to find potential cognitive remedies, investigate the effect of attitude similarity on media
bias, and to analyze the media bias effect. In conclusion, this article revealed that experiences of
the interviewer that immediately precede the interview can determine greatly the perception they
can have of the person they are interviewing. If they witnessed a positive event before the
interview, they were more likely to give the person they were interviewing a better evaluation. In
contrast, if they witnessed a negative event prior to the interview, the interviewer was more
likely to take out their frustrations on the person they were interviewing, thus giving them a poor
evaluation. (Babad & Peer, 2010)
A fourth theme regarding nonverbal communication during a job interview explores the
interaction of sex, verbal, and nonverbal cues in same-sex first encounters. Another research
study examining this topic was completed by Gore. This study explored the differences between
men and women in response to verbal and nonverbal content during an interaction with an
interviewer of the same sex. A relationship is built on the perceived quality of interactions
between two individuals. This quality is determined by how much the two like each other,
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engage in deep conversations, feel close, feel validated, and feel the other is responsive to their
needs. These perceptions are developed over time throughout the relationship. The interviewee
disclosed either superficial or emotional information to the interviewer. This study suggests that
often what is not said during an encounter is more important than what is said. People express
emotions not only by what they say, but in their facial expressions, body position, and posture.
This article also explains that some theorists argue that the naturalness of nonverbal
communication makes the interaction seem more authentic. In this way, nonverbal
communication can supplement and regulate verbal information that is conveyed. Also, this
article suggests that three primary nonverbal communication acts convey positive or negative
emotions. These include eye contact, body posture, and directedness. This study revealed that
men responded to verbal communication to assess the appropriateness of their disclosure. In
conclusion, this article provided a general background into nonverbal communication between
two people and what is conveyed during their interaction, and it revealed that in interactions
between two people in a professional setting, much more can be revealed by the candidate
through nonverbal communication in addition to what is said verbally. (Gore, 2009)
A fifth and final research topic studied nonverbal communication in the career interview
in general. A research study analyzing this topic was completed by Bladel. In this study, the
author presents guidelines for achieving successful nonverbal communication in an interview.
The job candidate can dress conservatively, groom himself/herself appropriately, and choose
accessories carefully. The job candidate is able to handle chronemic factors by arriving on time
and following the lead of the interviewer throughout the interview. The job candidate can choose
positive behaviors during the interview if he/she knows what to expect. The job candidate should
limit touching to handshakes only. The job candidate should display favorable kinesic features.
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This includes good posture, pleasant facial expressions, and appropriate eye contact. The job
candidate increases his chances of portraying a confident image through fluent and articulate
expression of ideas and responses to questions during the interview. There is no magical formula
for achieving successful nonverbal communication in a job interview, preparation for the
interview increases performance. Awareness, preparation, and rehearsal of appropriate nonverbal
communication are keys to the self-marketing essential to competing for jobs. (Bladel, 1993)
In conclusion, nonverbal cues in a job interview reveal a lot about the job applicant.
Nonverbal communication covers a broad category of different ways to communicate. There are
several distinguishing characteristics of nonverbal communication, influences on perception, and
several types of nonverbal cues. In general, nonverbal communication has shown to influence
performance on job interviews. The first research study discussed revealed nonverbal
communication may affect interview judgments of the job applicant, regardless of the applicants
qualifications or answers to questions. The second research study discussed revealed a simple act
of nonverbal communication can be a determinate of the likelihood of whether the job applicant
will be hired, and also that there are different societal expectations for men and women for
smiling during a job interview. The third research study discussed revealed experiences of the
interviewer that immediately precede the interview can determine greatly the perception they can
have of the person they are interviewing. The fourth research study discussed revealed in
interactions between two people in a professional setting, much more can be revealed by the
candidate through nonverbal communication. The final research study discussed revealed
awareness, preparation, and rehearsal of appropriate nonverbal communication are keys to
increasing performance in a job interview. In general, these studies agree with topics discussed
by Adler regarding nonverbal communication. Although a lot of information regarding nonverbal
NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION IN A JOB INTERVIEW
communication has been research, it is still a developing field in which research is still being
found. The research discussed is currently found to be relevant. However, research relating to
this topic is ongoing. Further developments in research relating to nonverbal communication in
job interviews would help to continue the progression of this topic.
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References
Adler, R.B. & Proctor, R.F. (2007) Looking Out Looking In. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cenage
Learning.
Babad, E., & Peer, E. (2010). Media Bias in Interviewers’ Nonverbal Behavior: Potential
Remedies, Attitude Similarity and Meta-analysis. Journal Of Nonverbal Behavior, 34(1),
57-78. doi:10.1007/s10919-009-0078-x
Bladel, D. N. (1993). Nonverbal Communication in the Career Interview. Florida
Communication Journal, 21(2), 54-62.
DeGroot, T., & Gooty, J. (2009). Can Nonverbal Cues be Used to Make Meaningful Personality
Attributions in Employment Interviews?. Journal Of Business & Psychology, 24(2), 179192. doi:10.1007/s10869-009-9098-0
Gore, J. (2009). The Interaction of Sex, Verbal, and Nonverbal Cues in Same-Sex First
Encounters. Journal Of Nonverbal Behavior, 33(4), 279-299. doi:10.1007/s10919-0090074-1
Woodzicka, J. (2008). Sex Differences in Self-awareness of Smiling During a Mock Job
Interview. Journal Of Nonverbal Behavior, 32(2), 109-121. doi:10.1007/s10919-0070046-2