OB Research Seminar - Ottilie Tilston & Franciska Krings, HEC Lausanne

Asynchronous Video Interviews (AVIs) are an increasingly popular form of one-way, technology-mediated hiring interview. Despite the numerous benefits they provide to the hiring process, research suggests that applicants do not react well to them (Suen et al., 2019). In this study, data from an AVI vendor comprised of 27809 candidates were fitted with linear mixed-effects models to investigate how AVI design choices and demographics related to applicant reactions to the interview process. We contribute to and extend the literature on AVIs by drawing evidence-based conclusions about which design features are most likely to improve applicant reactions. In addition, we explore whether all applicants reacted uniformly to these design features, shedding light on nuances behind negative reactions to AVI. These findings have practical and theoretical implications for refining Lukacik et al.’s (2022) model. Firstly, we confirm whether the proposed relationship between certain design features and applicant reactions is supported, as well as investigating additional design features. Secondly, our analysis of the moderating effects of age and gender on applicant reactions suggests that demographics play a role and should be added to the model. Finally, the descriptive elements of our study contribute to filling the ‘void’ of knowledge on how AVIs are commonly designed and used in practice.