c
c 

 

P.K. MATHAN RAJ*
JAISON SAMUEL*
  

The desire to make favorable impression on others is a strong one, so most of us do our best to look good
to others. These efforts are worth the trouble. Persons who can perform impression management
successfully do often gain important advantages in many situations.Impression Management (IM) is the
goal-directed activity of controlling or regulating information in order to influence the impressions
formed by an audience. Through impression management, people try to shape an audience's impressions
of a person, object, event, or idea. When people are trying to control impressions of themselves, as
opposed to other people or entities, the activity is called 2
 2 
.

Impression Management methods are often used during job interviews that the organization
conduct with applicants for various jobs in order to choose the best candidates. This paper
emphasizes on IM use and Effectiveness in Job Interviews which involves the influence of
personality, strength of the situation and its implication on practice.On an average 33% of
employees attempt to change their personality to fit in an interview. 4 out of 10 employees have
a different view of their boss¶s personality now to the one they saw at the interview. This paper
discusses about the tactics of IM which can be followed in the job interviews wherein individuals
who are high in 2

 
  are more likely than individuals who are low in self-monitoring
to engage in impression management tactics.It talks about the art of self-branding.In individual
level, brand symbolism provides moderation effects for in-group and out-group association. For
in-group, symbolic brand has a stronger communicating effect than non-symbolic brand; for out-
group, only symbolic brand used to differentiate one from out-group.

÷
 Impression Management, Self-Presentation, Self-Monitoring, Self-Branding, In-

Group, Out-Group.

* Final year MBA Students, Oscar Business School, Vellore.

Almost every organization uses an interview for making employment decisions. Hiring
managers, and others conducting interviews are well aware of interviewee use of ³impression
management´ ²applicants¶ attempts to create a favorable impression. Some typical examples of
impression management during interviews include verbal self-promotion (³I¶m a very hard
worker´), adjustment of non-verbal behaviors (smiling, welcoming body posture), and ³looking
the part´ (wearing professional clothing).

    

Some people are sensitive to how other sees them, whilst others are not. People who are — —
2

 
2 constantly watch other people, what they do and how they respond to the behavior
of others. Such people are hence very self-conscious and like to 'look good' and will hence
usually adapt well to differing social situations. On the other hand,

2

 
2 are
generally oblivious to how other see them and hence march to their own different drum.

 
  is a contribution to the psychology of personality, proposed by Mark Snyder in
1974. The theory refers to the process through which people regulate their own behavior in order
to "look good" so that they will be perceived by others in a favorable manner. It distinguishes
between high self-monitors, who monitor their behavior to fit different situations, and low self-
monitors, who are more cross-situationally consistent.









  

Branding can be described as many things, but its best defined as a promise; a promise of the
value of the product; a promise that the product is better than all the competing products; a
promise that must be delivered to be successful. Branding is the combination of tangible and
intangible characteristics that make a brand unique. Branding is developing an image -- with
results to match.

Branding (some call it self-branding when talking about individuals) is essential to career
advancement because branding helps define who you are, how you are great, and why you
should be sought out. Branding is your reputation. Branding is about building a name for
yourself, showcasing what sets you apart from others, and describing the added value you bring
to a situation.

Most job-seekers are not proactive in establishing and building their career brand, letting their
actions speak for them when seeking promotions or new jobs. But why not take the time to
master some very basic tactics that can help build your career brand and make you a much more
attractive employee or job-seeker? Remember, if you don't brand yourself, others will for you.
And while you may be happy and secure in your job now, you really never know when that will
change.

Management guru Tom Peters, writing in his book „—
 

     
  
2 
„2
 
2
 
  

  

 „— —
2
2 


    22
states: ³Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the
business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are the
CEOs of our own companies: Me, Inc.´ He adds, ³You're not defined by your job title and you're
not confined by your job description.´





 c
  
 

The most frequent type of impression management attempts are verbal self-promotions ² the
statements an applicant makes regarding his/her skills and abilities. These types of statements are
considered either assertive (applicant initiated) or defensive (applicant response to interviewer
assumptions). Assertive self-promotion is typified by self-focused statements that indicate the
applicant possesses necessary skills, abilities, and positive characteristics. Additionally,
applicants typically try to get the interviewer to feel good about them (other-focused) by trying
to demonstrate that they hold similar beliefs and values, and attempting
to build rapport and familiarity with the interviewer. Defensively, applicants try to ³repair´ their
image when an interviewer appears to be dissatisfied or offended by something the applicant has
said or done. For example,applicants may try to justify, or explain away, a gap in the
employment history on their resume, or rephrase their response (µwhat I really meant was..) to a
question if they get the feeling their answer was not what the interviewer wanted to hear.

    


Research1 on employment interviews indicates that personality is related to the way an applicant
will think and act. Depending on the situation, some personality traits may be more pronounced,
and influence impression management strategies. For example, very conscientious applicants
may take advantage of the opportunity to describe accomplishments and achievements, while
those especially agreeable applicants will try to win favor by behaving exceedingly thoughtfully
and considerately.




?
?
?? ?
? ??
?
 ? ?
????? ?!"?#?$%&&'(? 

? ? ?
?
) ??* 
+ ???

?
+,?-? ?
?..?$/(?'/%?
?''.?

        

One potential moderator to this relationship is the 2 — of the situation ± the degree to which
the expectations for how to behave are clear. In ³strong´ situations, people have certain
expectations for how to behave (e.g., quiet and subdued at a funeral), and thus most everyone
behaves the same way, no matter if they are a very shy or very rambunctious person. In ³weak´
situations, the expectations for how to behave aren¶t as clear, and thus people must decide for
themselves what they feel is appropriate. What may be surprising to HR practitioners is that
people may be predisposed to engaging in impression managing behaviors.

The employment interview tends to be on the ³strong´ end of the scale ± most people have
reasonable expectations about what is appropriate behavior during an interview. However, the
different circumstances surrounding why applicants are interviewing may overlride the
³strength´ of interview expectations and affect their likelihood to engage in impression
management. For example, applicants who have been looking for work for months may be more
motivated to make a good impression (compared to an applicant who is just starting the job
search process), because they desperately need the job.

 c
  
  

Understanding the relationship between these different aspects of the interview process canhelp
HR practitioners understand how employment interviews may be affected byimpression
management, and how negative effects can be minimized. When personality ismeasured prior to
the interview process, the extent to which people exhibit differentpersonality traits can be
determined and taken into account. For example, highly altruisticindividuals tend to be less
focused on themselves and thus more likely to use impression managing behaviors related to
ingratiating themselves with others than they are to use self-promotion or defensive excuses.
Similarly, more self-disciplined people are further likely to prepare for interviews and dedicate
additional time and effort to how they will respond to likely questions. In this way, they are more
likely to use self-promotion taking responsibility for actions and thus less likely to need to make
excuses.
Research indicates that Impression does have a positive effect. Individuals who are high in self-
monitoring are more likely than individuals who are low in self-monitoring to engage in
impression management tactics.


 
 

 
‡?   
 ²boost one¶s appeal to others
±? Boost physical appearance, boast about abilities
‡?    
 ²induce positive moods in others
±? Use flattery, express liking, agree with their views
»? If overused, tactics can boomerang (2
 can occur).

    The target of perception A subordinate tries to

matches his or her behavior to imitate her boss¶s behavior
that of the perceiver. by being modest and soft-
spoken because her boss is
modest and soft-spoken.
 

  The target tries to present A worker reminds his boss
herself or himself in as positive about his past
a light as possible. accomplishments and
associates with co-workers
who are evaluated highly.


    
 The target follows agreed-upon A worker stays late every
rules for behavior in the night even if she has
organization. completed all of her
assignments because
staying late is one of the
norms of her organization.

        The target compliments the A coworker compliments a

perceiver. This tactic works manager on his excellent
best when flattery is not handling of a troublesome
extreme and when it involves a employee.
dimension important to the
perceiver.

     The target¶s beliefs and A subordinate delivering a

 behaviors are consistent. message to his boss
There is agreement between looks the boss straight in the
the target¶s verbal and eye and has a
nonverbal behaviors. sincere expression on his
face.




  
           
V? Gain Experience/Track Accomplishments
V? Complete Education/Training
V? Promote Yourself
V? Become an Expert
V? Build Relationships

 c  


There is abundant research to say that, judiciously used; impressionmanagement can work to
make people view us more positively. However,relationships in business are built over time, and
where impressionmanagement becomes a substitute for building an authentic leadershipstyle, it
impacts on consistency and credibility and can be damaging.

  

Based on the research2, it is given that so many European workers viewa new job as an
opportunity to reinventthemselves, it comes as no surprise that itbegins at the interview stage and
that six outof ten (59%) believe that personality was veryimportant3 in getting their current job.

So the reinvention often means taking on a newguise: a third of employees (33%) adapted
theirpersonality at the interview stage to try and µfitin¶ with what they saw as the company
culture.
This rises to 41% among workers in their 20s,suggesting younger candidates feel under the most
pressure to conform, while the UK andIreland are the hotspots of European interviewee persona
change to 45% and 49% respectively.Significantly, the more important people considered
personality to be, the more theyadapted their personality in the interview.

%?*0?
?
 ? 
?
?,?
? ? ?
?1?2##3?
4+1?%&&'?
.?5+6? 
?? ? ?'?7?8?? &?
? ? &?

    

As to how this happens, psychologists believethat candidates are presented with a widerange of
non-verbal cues to the companyculture as they arrive for an interview,ranging from the corporate
logo to thedemeanor of the receptionist. This allowsthem to tailor their own interview
personaaccordingly.
Furthermore, of the third of employeeswho changed their personality at interview,three out of ten
(31%) did so radically4. Itthen comes as little surprise that aroundone in seven employees (14%)
are feelingstress because they have continued to putup the false front they first employed at
theinterview stage.
This is why so many businesses aresupplementing job interviews withpsychometric tests of
personality and otherforms of assessment. If candidates areµfaking it¶ to try and fit in, it is likely
to leadto problems down the line as the true self emerges. Either the organization will feel
dissatisfied with the individual, or vice versa,or neither is conducive to high performanceor
retention.

c
 
   

The most relevant implication for HR practitioners is that use of behavior descriptioninterview
questions can result in greaterlikelihood of selflpromoting and defensiveimpression
managingbehaviors. With manyinterviews relying on the use of behaviorlbasedquestioning
because, according to the oldadage, ³past behavior is the best predictor offuture behavior´,
interviewers may beunknowingly allowing themselves to be³played´ by applicants. This is not to
suggestthat situational questions are better thanbehaviorallbased questions ± it is strictly a
reminder for interviewers to be aware of, andprepared for, applicants likelihood for using these
types of behaviors when responding tointerview questions. Remember, a well-constructed
interview will ask questions, ofeither type, that are relevant and predictive for the position, and
criteria, at hand.

?

9?56? 
?? ? ?'?7?8?? &?
? ? &
 

Interviewers would be best served to examine theapplicant personality profiles through a well -
constructed and validated measure beforehand,so as to prepare themselves better to watch forand
identify applicants¶ use of different types ofimpression managing behaviors.

These issues are particularly relevant fororganizations using unconventional selectionprocesses

(i.e., a very informal or casualinterview environment). As more and morecompanies come up
with novel ways to attractcandidates, ³messing with´ the expectedinterview experience may be
detrimental ± in that placing applicant in situations where therearen¶t clear expectations for
behavior, leads togreater likelihood of impression management.

Once you identify and build your brand, remember to continue strengthening and protecting it.
There will always be competing brands (job-seekers) ready to fill any gap you leave behind. The
more you do to cultivate your career brand, the more successful you will be with your current
employer and in the job-search.