The relationship between applicants' preparation and faking in personnel selection

The present work deals with deceptive behavior by applicants in personnel selection procedures. A particular focus lies in the investigation of the connection between preparation behavior and subsequent self-presentation (i.e., impression management) in job interviews and personality tests. An emphasis is placed on deceptive impression management (i.e., faking). Drawing on a newly developed taxonomy of preparation methods, a nuanced perspective on preparation as a potential antecedent of faking was adopted. This relationship is discussed in light of several theoretical models and frameworks that have either directly or indirectly postulated a positive correlation between preparation and faking. For example, preparation may enable applicants to “mind‐read” organizations to identify key selection criteria, recognize opportunities to fake, or develop specific behavioral skills. The dissertation used different methodological approaches (such as self-reported preparation or direct manipulations of preparation), settings (e.g., experimental or a field study in a high-stakes context), and paradigms (e.g., using personality test scores as a deception criterion or using self-reported cognitive performance). The main findings are that preparation through social media (e.g., online videos from coaches or testimonials from other applicants in online forums) can be positively correlated with faking in job interviews and personality tests. By contrast, other preparatory activities (e.g., simulated interviews) showed no significant association with impression management. The present work further investigated a potential moderating role of Honesty-humility of the HEXACO personality model, a well‐established predictor of deceptive behavior. The results indicate that Honesty-humility partially moderates the effect of preparation on faking but does not moderate the effects of an increased risk to fake or an increased level of competition on applicant deception.