Describing Impression Management and Faking in the Employment Interview by Chinese Job seekers

摘要

Despitethescientificandpracticalimportance,almostnostudieshavebeenperformedtoinvestigateimpressionmanagementandfakingintheemploymentinterviewinMainlandChina.YetresearchshowsthatImpressionManagementtacticsandfakingbehaviordoeshaveanimpactoninterviewers’decisionmaking.Withoutanyconcreteevidenceorin-­‐depthunderstandingof“thefaceofChinesefaking”,detectingfakingcanbechallenging.Todetectfaking,manyrecruiterscanonlyrelyontheirintuition,andexperienceaswellasthoroughreferencechecks,whichcanbequitedifficulttoperforminChina.ThereforeanInterviewFakingBehavior(IFB)surveywithChinesecharacteristicsisimplementedinthethesisbasedontheIFBscalefromaUSstudy.TheIFBscaleconsistsof5majorcategories(SlightImageCreation,ExtensiveImageCreation,ImageProtection,IngratiationandMemorization)and11minorcategories(Embellishing,Tailoring,FitEnhancing,Constructing,Inventing,Borrowing,Masking,Distancing,Omitting,Conforming,andInterviewerEnhancing).Thesurveyiscollectedin3locations(2majorChinesecitiesand1onlinesurvey)withatotalof(N=152)respondents.Theresultsshowthat98%ofrespondentsdousefakingbehaviorsinthejobinterview,butthattheyonaverageonlyfaketoalittleandmoderateextent,regardlessofpersonalbackground.MoreovertheChinesefakingbehaviorpercentagesaregenerallylowerthanthoseofUSrespondentsinsimilarstudies.