Applicants’ pre-test reactions towards video interviews: The role of expected chances to demonstrate potential and to use nonverbal cues

Technological innovations, among which the use of video interviews in personnel selection, are welcomed by organizations for reasons such as reductions in cost and time and the ability to reach a more global labour market. The literature to date suggests that applicants do not share this enthusiasm and feel less attracted towards organizations that use video interviews versus face-to-face interviews. In this study, we extended the literature by studying pre- instead of post-test reactions and testing two explanatory mechanisms, namely expected chances to demonstrate potential and to use nonverbal cues. In a first within-subjects experiment among 38 students, the results of two t-tests showed that participants preferred the face-to-face interview above the video interview and that they expected lower chances to demonstrate potential and to use nonverbal cues in the video interview. In a second between-subjects experiment among 121 potential job seekers, these results were partially replicated. The results of a t-test and a mediation bootstrap analysis with PROCESS showed a significant indirect effect of interview medium on organizational attraction via expected chances to demonstrate potential but not via expected opportunities to use nonverbal communication. This study has important practical implications for organizations in the current context of talent shortages.