Just Faking It or Faking It Well: Candidate Success in Manipulating Personality Interview Responses

Abstract: This study investigates job applicants' success in distorting their responses during simulated selection interviews to match the ideal personality of a call center manager. We assess whether faking success relates to candidates’ job knowledge and interview familiarity. Simulated interviews were conducted with students/recent graduates ( N 1 = 102), focusing on extraversion and honesty/humility in two contexts: honest responding and induced faking. Evaluations from employment experts ( N 2 = 8) regarding ideal responses were collected. Results showed that participants were only partially successful; they effectively manipulated honesty/humility but struggled with extraversion, leading to its inflated importance. No significant correlations were found between faking success and candidates' prior experience or familiarity. These findings raise concerns about the validity of interviews and prompt further research.