In-person interviews may yield better results: study

Preparing for your dream job? It is better to appear in the interview in-person instead of telephonic or other technology-mediated interviews, according to a new study.
"We live in a world where we increasingly rely on technology, but this study reminds us that personal interactions should never be underestimated," said Nikki Blacksmith from George Washington University in the US.
"Many times, the candidate does not have a choice in the format of the interview. However, the organisation does have a choice and if they are not consistent with the type of interview they use across candidates, it could result in fairness issues and even possibly a lawsuit," said Blacksmith.

To compare the effectiveness of in-person and technology-mediated interviews, researchers examined 12 articles published from 2000-2007 that included interviewer and interviewee ratings, that is, assessment of how the company and the candidate performed during the interview.
In order for the article to be considered, it needed to include both in-person and technology-mediated interactions.
Researchers found that, overall, technology-mediated interviews resulted in lower ratings for both the company and the candidate.

Within that category, video interviews received the most negative rankings, followed by telephone and computer interviews. Face-to-face interviews received more favourable rankings.
The study also looked at the effect of time on the ratings, assuming that as people became more accustomed to the technology and it improved or advanced, they would rate it higher.

However, the opposite occurred, and ratings became more negative for more recent studies, researchers said.
"Considering the rate at which technology has changed, it is clear that we lack understanding of the modern interview," said Blacksmith.
The findings were published in the journal Personnel Assessment and Decisions.