Communication apprehension and employment interviews

In order to determine if patterns identified in the general communication apprehension (CA) literature would emerge with regard to employment interviews, three investigations were undertaken. The first study investigated thoughts high and low CAs entertain regarding employment interviews. The second study probed differences in self‐reported preparation activities that high and low CAs employ with regard to employment interviews. The third study examined differences in verbal and nonverbal behaviors displayed by high and low CAs in employment interview situations. In general, these studies indicate that high CAs avoid thinking about interviews, avoid preparing for them, and use a pattern of communicative minimization (few gestures, few words, etc.) in employment interviews. These data are congruent with data on CA in other circumstances, provide a basis for developing grounded interventions in this domain, and have implications for the way interviews of this nature ought to be handled in classroom situations.

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