Abstract
This article evaluates various aspects of the selection interview in terms of the major principles of business ethics. It looks at both interviewer and interviewee behavior and examines the ethical questions that arise around five key themes: Preparation for the interview; Openness, disclosure and the invasion of privacy; Honesty and impression management; Power relationships in the interview; The use of interview information in decision making. It is argued that clear guidelines for ethical behavior in the interview are needed and would actually serve to increase the effectiveness of the method. Various topics that require empirical investigation are identified, and some parallels drawn with research on other assessment methods.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Baron, R. A.: 1989, ‘Impression Management by Applicants During Employment Interviews: The “Too Much of a Good Thing Effect”’, in R. W. Eder and G. R. Ferris (eds.),The Employment Interview (Sage, Newbury Park, CA).
Beaty, R. H.: 1986,The Five Minute Interview (John Wiley, New York).
Cavanagh, G. F., Moberg, D. J. and Velasquez, M.: 1981, ‘The Ethics of Organizational Politics’,Academy of Management Review 6, pp. 363–374.
Chelune, G. J. and Associates.: 1979,Self-Disclosure: Origins, Patterns and Implications of Openness in Interpersonal Relations (Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA).
Dipboye, R. L.: 1989, ‘Threats to the Incremental Validity of Interviewer Judgments’, in R. W. Eder & G. R. Ferris (eds.),The Employment Interview (Sage, Newbury Park, CA).
Eder, R. W. and Ferris, G. R.: 1989,The Employment Interview (Sage, Newbury Park, CA).
Fink, A. M. and Butcher, J. N.: 1972, ‘Reducing Objections to Personality Inventories with Special Instructions’,Educational and Psychological Measurement 32, pp. 631–639.
Fletcher, C.: 1979, ‘New Directions in Selection Interviewing Research; Candidates' Expectations, Beliefs and Strategies’, Paper presented to the Institute of Personnel Management National Conference, Harrogate.
Fletcher, C.: 1986a,How To Face the Interview (Unwin Paperbacks, London).
Fletcher, C.: 1986b, ‘Should the Test Score be Kept a Secret?’,Personnel Management (April), pp. 44–46.
Fletcher, C.: 1990, ‘The Relationships Between Candidate Personality, Self-presentation Strategies and Interviewer Assessments in Selection Interviews: An Empirical Study’,Human Relations 43, pp. 739–749.
Fletcher, C.: 1991, ‘Candidates' Reactions to Assessment Centres and Their Outcomes: A Longitudinal Study’,Journal of Occupational Psychology 64, pp. 117–127.
Fusilier, M. R. and Hoyer, W. D.: 1980, ‘Variables Affecting Perceptions of Invasion of Privacy In A Personnel Selection Situation’,Journal of Applied Psychology 65, pp. 623–626.
Goodale, J. G.: 1989, ‘Effective Employment Interviewing’, in R. W. Eder and G. R. Ferris (eds.),The Employment Interview (Sage, Newbury Park, CA).
Harris, M. M.: 1989, ‘Reconsidering the Employment Interview: A Review of Recent Literature and Suggestions for Future Research’,Personnel Psychology 42, pp. 691–726.
Herriot, P.: 1989,Recruitment in the 90s (IPM Press, London).
Iles, P. A. and Robertson, I. T.: 1989, ‘The Impact of Personnel Selection Procedures on Candidates’, in P. Herriot,Assessment and Selection in Organizations (Wiley & Sons, Chichester).
Keenan, A.: 1980, ‘Recruitment on the Campus: A Closer Look at the Tools of the Trade’,Personnel Management March, pp. 43–46.
Keenan, A. and Wedderburn, A. A. I.: 1980, ‘Putting the Boot on the Other Foot: Candidates' Descriptions of Interviewers’,Journal of Occupational Psychology 53, pp. 81–89.
Keenan, A.: 1982, ‘Candidate Personality and Performance in the Selection Interview’,Personnel Review 11, pp. 20–22.
Moberg, D. J.: 1989, ‘The Ethics of Impression management’, in R. A. Giacalone & P. Rosenfield (eds.),Impression Management in the Organization (Erlbaum, Hillsdale, NJ).
Noe, R. A., and Steffy, B. D.: 1987, ‘The Influence of Individual Characteristics and Assessment Centre Evaluation on Career Exploration Behavior and Job Involvement’,Journal of Vocational Behavior 30, pp. 187–203.
OSS Assessment Staff: 1948,Assessment of Men (Rinehart & Co., New York).
Rowe, P. M.: 1989, ‘Unfavorable Information and Interview Decisions’, in R. W. Eder and G. R. Ferris, (eds.),The Employment Interview (Sage, Newbury Park, CA.)
Rynes, S. L., Heneman, H. G. and Schwab, D. P.: 1980, ‘Individual Reactions to Organizational Recruiting: A Review’,Personnel Psychology 33, pp. 529–542.
Shaffer, D. R., Mays, P. V. and Etheridge, K.: 1976, ‘Who Shall Be Hired: A Biasing Effect of the Buckley Amendment on Employment Practices?’,Journal of Applied Psychology 61, pp. 571–575.
Wiesner, W. H. and Cronshaw, S. F.: 1988, ‘The Moderating Impact of Interview Format and Degree of Structure on Interview Validity’,Journal of Occupational Psychology 61, 275–290.
Wolff, C. J. de: 1989, ‘The Changing Role of Psychologists in Selection’, in P. Harriot (ed.),Assessment and Selection in Organizations (Wiley & Sons, Chichester).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Clive Fletcher is Professor of Psychology at Goldsmiths' College, University of London. He completed his Ph.D., then spent seven years as a psychologist in the British Civil Service, before taking up an academic post. His research interests focus on assessment centres, performance management and the selection interview
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Fletcher, C. Ethical issues in the selection interview. J Bus Ethics 11, 361–367 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00870548
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00870548