Field study investigation of applicant use of influence tactics in a selection interview

Employees often evaluate leadership potential when selecting applicants for jobs that require leadership ability (e.g., supervisors, firefighter captains). Research has shown that influencing others is an important part of being an effective leader, yet employers rarely explicitly consider applicants' use of influence tactics when evaluating applicants' leadership potential. The purpose of this study was to explore applicant use of influence tactics in an employment interview and to determine how such use relates to interview ratings. The authors observed firefighter applicants' behavior during a selection role-play interview and recorded their use of influence tactics. Results indicated that firefighter applicants used soft tactics (e.g., ingratiation, rational persuasion) significantly more frequently than they used hard tactics (e.g., pressure, coalition). Soft tactic use was positively correlated with interview ratings.