The interplay of COVID-19 and interview anxiety on key interview outcomes

What is it about?

This study focuses on the high-stress, high-stakes setting of virtual interviews in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 8,343 job applicants across 373 companies and 93 countries/regions were examined. Consistent with predictions, the study found that individuals who had high levels of COVID-19 rumination also exhibited higher levels of job interview anxiety. Further, this relation was stronger for applicants who experienced higher (vs. lower) levels of COVID-19 exhaustion. In turn, interview anxiety was negatively related to interview performance, the extent to which the hiring organization was viewed as fair and the extent to which applicants would recommend the hiring organization to others. Finally, COVID-19 duration and deaths had an impact on these relations. This research offers several insights for understanding the virtual interview experience embedded in the pandemic and advances the literature on applicant reactions.

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Photo by Avel Chuklanov on Unsplash

Photo by Avel Chuklanov on Unsplash

Why is it important?

The use of virtual job interviews has proliferated in the midst of the current pandemic. The current study highlights the critical role of interview anxiety in this important context.