The Relationship between Preparation, Impression Management, and Interview Performance in High-Stakes Personnel Selection: A Field Study of Airline Pilot Applicants

ABSTRACT Objective The present study investigates how airline pilot applicants prepare for a personnel selection procedure and how this relates to their deceptive and honest impression management (IM) in the job interview and their interview performance. Background It is thus far unclear how preparation relates to IM in real-world and high-stakes settings. This is of particular importance for the aviation industry, because numerous commercial providers offer preparation courses for selection procedures potentially impacting selection decisions. Method We conducted a field study of high-stakes job interviews embedded in a selection procedure for airline pilots. Data from 100 interviewees was acquired. Results The variety of preparation strategies an applicant used was positively correlated with two deceptive IM (faking) strategies in the job interview. Moreover, low effort preparation via social media and guidebooks was positively correlated with overall faking. The variety of preparation and preparation via social media were also positively correlated with honest IM. However, neither the aforementioned preparation nor IM showed significant correlations with the interview performance. Conclusion The effects of preparation depend on the specific preparation methods used. Certain methods of preparation are positively associated with applicants’ use of IM strategies in the job interview.