The influence of nonverbal communication during employment interviews

Abstract

This study explores the relationship between nonverbal communication and hiring decisions during employment interviews. The aim is to discover whether nonverbal communication issues are influential to the interviewer and to what extent. The research instrument consists of a nine-item structured response format questionnaire. One item gathers demographic data of each participant, whilst the other eight items determine the importance of multiple nonverbal variables. The questionnaires were administered to 30 Human Resources managers and other management personnel employed in varied local companies. These comprised 17 males and 13 females, the mean age of which was 36.6 years. The results support the assumption that nonverbal communication significantly influences hiring decisions during interviews. Respondents demonstrated that, smiling, eye-contact, dress, grooming, motivation and honesty, are the primary factors that influence perceptions regarding job suitability and employment. Results also reveal that the importance of the applicant's gender, physical appearance and attractiveness greatly depends on the relevance of the type job.