The Impact of Nonverbal Cues on the Impression of Interviewers During Employment Interviews

Abstract

Verbal and Nonverbal cues play an important role in communication. One situation where these cues are important is during job interviews, wherein interviewers assess how an applicant can present their self. However, studies have shown that nonverbal cues are more powerful than verbal messages, thus, this study investigated what the impact of kinesics and physical appearance, as nonverbal cues, are on the impression of interviewers during job interviews. It also studied what specific kinesics and physical appearance lead to a positive and to a negative impression, as well as how interviewers rate the interviewees based on their performed nonverbal cue. A qualitative research method was utilized for the research study. Data was gathered from seven various companies in Metro Manila. The researcher conducted a one-on-one interview with five of the seven various companies and a group discussion with the remaining two companies. All the respondents were involved in the recruitment processes of these companies. Respondents were four recruitment managers and seven recruitment officers for they have the first-hand experience when it comes to conducting job interviews. The study revealed that nonverbal cues influence the impression of interviewers during job interviews because it shows the interest and the personality of the applicant, as seen in smiling, nodding, straight posture, eye-contact, neatly-fixed hair, wearing of appropriate clothing and simple jewelry. Interviewers give a good impression to the nonverbal cues showing that the applicant is interested in and is fitted for the position that they are applying for, otherwise a negative impression. Lastly, it has been found that interviewers do not rate applicants based on their nonverbal cues however, they only consider these nonverbal cues as reinforcements to the final evaluation of the interviewee.