Defining Personality: Epistemic Authority in Recruitment Interviews

Teija Ahopelto Tampere University ; Johanna Ruusuvuori Tampere University ; Melisa Stevanovic Tampere University ; Sanni Tiitinen JAMK University of Applied Sciences

Abstract

Personality testing is an elementary part of recruitment. The test results are increasingly considered a necessary means of obtaining information about candidates’ personalities and suitability. This has raised questions about who has the right to define a candidate’s personality in recruitment interviews. Here, we use conversation analysis to describe two strategies through which recruiters evaluate candidates’ personalities based on the personality test results and show how these methods are linked to different interactional affordances. We recommend the candidate-driven strategy that attends to the candidates’ fundamental right to define their personality in a situation where their career is at stake.

Journal
Business and Professional Communication Quarterly
Published
2025-12-01
DOI
10.1177/23294906231218385
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