What is it about?
Assessing personality in recruitment interviews is an interactionally delicate task. In this study, psychologists assess the consistency between applicants’ self-descriptions, personality test results, and observed situational behavior in order to evaluate the applicants’ genuineness and truthfulness. Psychologists' normative expectation of consistency pose a challenge for applicants. Because assessments are based on psychologists’ real-time observations, they cannot be directly challenged, which prompts applicants to defend and demonstrate the authenticity and reliability of their personalities during the interview. This forces applicants to navigate tensions between the personality traits they claim and those that are observable.
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Why is it important?
The study demonstrates how psychologists make assessments in situ and how these observations can shape what is considered a credible and reliable account of someone’s personality. This is significant because such assessments can influence a person’s chances of being hired. It also shows that psychological knowledge and power are actively constructed and negoatiated in social interaction.
Perspectives
Writing this article has been both stimulating and insightful. From my perspective, it highlights the importance of studying psychological assessments in real interactional contexts and of considering the social consequences these assessments can produce. I believe psychology would benefit from greater engagement with real-life situations, which can open new avenues for understanding and generating knowledge about human behavior.
Teija Ahopelto
Tampere University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Perceived personality: Noticing interactional conduct in recruitment interviews., Qualitative Psychology, November 2025, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/qup0000340.
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