In job interviews, candidates vary in the extent to which they engage in self-presentation and attempt to control the impression they make on interviewers. For example, some candidates may claim they were heavily involved in achieving accomplishments that in reality may have been completed by other colleagues; other candidates are overly modest and fail to speak about successes for which they were chiefly responsible.
Researchers led by the University of Bergen’s Gro Mjeldheim Sandal surveyed people’s intended use of self-presentation tactics in 10 countries and found important differences. For instance, US respondents scored ‘remarkably high’ on all four sub-skills of self-presentation, even compared with respondents from other affluent, Western countries, including Germany and Norway.
People in Asian cultures value ‘saving face’ and avoiding embarrassment in front of others
One sub-skill of self-presentation involves pointing out obstacles or external factors as explanations for mistakes and failures. This sub-skill was most endorsed by respondents from Malaysia, Hong Kong and Iran. This is consistent with the observation that people in Asian cultures value ‘saving face’ and avoiding embarrassment or humiliation in front of others.
Important implications
The specific differences between cultures are too numerous to discuss in detail. However, the research has major implications for both employers and candidates.
Self-presentational skills are unrelated to job performance, so interviewers must consider that professionals from different countries differ greatly in their willingness to hype themselves during interviews. Candidates seeking work internationally must think about the culture in which they are hoping to be hired and alter their interview behaviour accordingly.
More information
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