Perceptions of Truthfulness and Communication Anxiety in Online Employment Interviews

Abstract

In organizations, the past decade has seen an increase in the popularity of Skype as a firstround employment interview tool. Due to Skype’s speed, quality, and transmittal of sound and video, it is sometimes thought of as a substitute for face-to-face. However, is this a fair substitution? In a survey-based study, we investigated the difference between Skype and faceto- face interviews by examining two critical assessment traits: truthfulness and communication anxiety. Our results showed that interviewers in an academic setting perceived candidates to be less honest via Skype than they do face-to-face, even when candidates seemed equally competent. Our results also showed that interviewers perceived equal communication anxiety through both mediums, though prior research suggests interviewee communication anxiety would be higher over Skype.