As industrial and organisational psychology professionals, our clients may rely on our expertise to advise on, and design, appropriate assessment and selection processes. But how can we reliably advise our clients if the evidence-based research into specific assessment and selection tools is seriously lagging behind industry adoption? Asynchronous video interviews (AVIs) are a relatively new selection tool where applicants record themselves responding to the hiring organisations’ interview questions presented to them via an online software platform. AVIs have the potential to provide tangible benefits to both organisations and applicants, such as a marked reduction in resources needed to schedule, conduct, and participate in the interview process. However, some applicants have expressed negative perceptions of AVIs, using online forums to describe their experience of their assessment process as “impersonal” and “awkward,” leaving the potential to harm the hiring organisation’s brand. This presentation will outline an experimental manipulation that was designed to improve applicant reactions to AVIs using a Basic Psychological Needs theory framework, and will discuss future directions for research as well as practical implications for industry.

Audience members will be able to understand and describe a relatively new assessment and selection tool that is being widely used in industry, including current applicant perceptions of the tool, and ways in which some organisations are attempting to improve the experience for applicants. The use of Basic Psychological Needs Theory will also be introduced as a potentially useful theoretical lens through which to understand what drives applicant reactions, and for audience members to apply this to their own research or industry projects.

Moore, Hayley I
Dunlop, Patrick D
Holtrop, Djurre J
Gagné, Marylène