The Effect of Job Interview Question Type on Faking and Interviewee Reactions

Abstract: Structured job interviews are often built around four better question types: behavioral, situational, background, and job knowledge questions. This study provides the first comparative examination of these four question types in terms of interviewee faking and reactions. Prolific respondents ( N = 150) completed an asynchronous video interview comprising eight questions (i.e., two of each type), then rewatched their responses, and reported their faking and reactions. Overall, question type had a small effect on faking and a small–medium effect on reactions. Specifically, situational and job knowledge questions were associated with less faking than behavioral and background questions. Finally, background questions were associated with worse affective, utility, and procedural justice reactions, particularly compared to situational questions.