Can mock interviewers' personalities influence their personality ratings of applicants?

The authors examined individual difference and self-regulatory variables to understand how an interviewer rates a candidate's personality. Participants were undergraduate students at a large midwestern university in the United States who completed measures of individual differences, read an employment interview transcript involving a candidate applying for a customer service job, and rated the candidate's personality. Participants' agreeableness, social skills, and communion striving were positively associated with their ratings of the candidate's helpfulness and obedience. The authors provide a foundation for further research on interviewer effectiveness and the processes underlying the employment interview.