Browsing by Author "Aalto, Valpuri"

The aim of the thesis is to describe and understand how job applicants try to control their impression management during a video job interview. Video job interview is rather a new phenomenon which has not yet been studied in the field of speech communication, and there is hardly any previous studies. Another central theme in this thesis is impression management which has been studied in disciplines such as economics and psychology. The thesis concentrates on how job applicants prepare for impression management and what kinds of assertive tactics they use during a video job interview. Also, nonverbal communication during assertive tactics is studied. The data consisted of eight (8) semi-structured interviews and observations of interviewees' video data. All the interviewees had participated in a video job interview in 2015. The data was analyzed using grounded theory and deductive content analysis. The first method was used in the analysis of preparation for impression management and the latter in the analysis of assertive tactics. According to the results, job applicants' preparation for impression management consisted of message planning and orientation. Taking notes and rehearsing were emphasized in message planning. Different emotions were central in orientation. The interviewees used five different assertive tactics during the video job interviews. The tactics were 1) enhancement 2) self-promotion 3) fit-with-organization 4) personal stories and 5) overcoming obstacles. The most used tactic was enhancement. The interviewees maintained eye contact to webcam and smiled a little during assertive tactics. Based on this research, impression management is seen as a process which starts already when the job applicant starts to prepare for the video job interview. Unlike previous research, interviewees did not use self-promotion tactic very much. Video job interview seems to resemble more of a public speaking than an interview. Further research could be conducted for examining on how culture or gender affects the use of impression management tactics in a video job interview.