Perception plays an important part in determining whether or not an applicant will get a job offer following an employment interview.The perceptual error that is affecting recruiters’ perceptions in this case is the halo perceptual error. The halo effect influences the interviewer’s perceptions of the applicant based the applicant’s answers to questions. The recruiter then develops a corresponding overall positive or negative impression of the applicant. According to Rosenweig (2007), applicants answers can and have been judged as either intelligent or unintelligent based simply on the name of the university they attended and how well known it is. Of course name recognition is not the only instance in which the halo effect can determine employment selection. Looks or attractiveness tend to lead to the halo effect in hiring too. Attractive candidates are perceived as having more favorable and agreeable qualities, they are trusted more and the expectations of them are higher. The unfortunate thing is that these halo errors can and have caused the right candidate to be overlooked while the wrong candidate is chosen due to nothing more than another person’s skewed perception.

While there is actually nothing in the case study that deals directly with stereotyping in a technical sense, there is still conscious and unconscious stereotyping that occurs during the interview and job selection process. In an article by Elizabeth Umphress (2008), if selection decisions are made by someone who has a negative attitude or prejudice against a particular group then the evaluation of those candidates that are perceived to be in this group will be negative and prejudiced as well. Females and minorities seem to receive the majority of these negative attitudes and prejudices. Being seen as more cooperative, gentle and sympathetic women are more frequently passed over for the more cut throat,competitive positions. Women and minorities however are making great strides at breaking through the stereotypes and are becoming more successful, but there is still a long road to go before they are treated the same as white males. To prevent these stereotypes and prejudices, organizations should focus on the statement that “recruiting and selecting competent employees is critical to an organization’s competitive advantage” (Ployhart & Holtz, 2008, p. 153). Organizations should focus more energy on hiring the right candidate instead of immediately eliminating candidates based on assumptions.

According to the self-fulfilling prophecy, or Pygmalion effect, people’s expectations or beliefs determine their behavior and performance, thus serving to make their expectations come true (Kreitner & Kinicki, 2013). The Galatea effect occurs when an individual’s high self-expectations for himself or herself lead to high performance (Kreitner & Kinicki, 2013). The Golem effect is a loss in performance resulting from low leader expectations (Kreitner & Kinicki, 2013). Employees and job applicants strive to validate their perceptions of reality, no matter how accurate or inaccurate those perceptions may be. In an interview situation, if the applicant is receiving positive attention, he or she may do better and live up to positive expectations. Whereas in an interview situation which he or she receives negative attention then the interview will not go well and the applicant lives up to the low expectations of the interviewer.

“Perception is a cognitive process that enables us to interpret and understand our surroundings” (Kreitner & Kinicki, 2013, p. 180). The perception of a situation or perception of a person is very important in the decision making process and in making the correct choice. If a situation is perceived incorrectly then the proper decision cannot be made. Perceptions are often based on assumptions and can be influenced by a number of factors including expectations and stereotypes and stereotype threat. When a set of expectations are formed, people have a harder time making an unbiased perception. Expectations can be either conscious or unconscious and play a major role in perception. In the interview situation that was showcased in this case study, the expectation of the interviewer was that the candidate was either worthy or unworthy of additional consideration for the position based upon the answer to one question. Stereotypes are beliefs about the characteristics, attributes and behaviors of members of certain groups. Many times the accuracy of stereotypes is overestimated because they are based on prejudice, fear or rationalization. The perceptions that lead to false confirmation of stereotypes can also lead to errors in decision making.
Much like general stereotyping, stereotype threat can lead to errors in decision making also. “Stereotype threat is the predicament in which members of a social group must deal with the possibility of being judged stereotypically, or doing something that would confirm the stereotype” (Kreitner and Kinicki, 2013, p. 192). This threat is more detrimental to women and minorities. This pressure can cause an individual to perform worse in an situation when the expectation going in to the situation is that women and minorities generally tend to be less successful in completing the task. Many of the perceptual errors from stereotype threat are internal and develop from being told time and time again that gender or race mean the person is less valued, successful or capable and continued stereotype threat can lead to issues with self esteem and self identity. Attempts to explain personal surroundings through perception is commonplace. Perceptions however, can lead to errors both internal and external. An accurate perception can prove effective in the decision making process. To ensure that the correct decision is made the situation should be analysed and the decision maker should be aware of biases.

There really is no best answer the to the “What is your biggest weakness question.” The answer will vary from person to person as we do not all have the same weakness and each answer would vary based on the organization the applicant is interviewing with. Applicants should answer this question by being specific. Simply answering the question by giving a general skillset as a weakness will cause the interviewer to perceive the worst case scenario. An applicant can turn the question from a negative to a positive. Giving a negative question a positive spin will leave the interviewers believing that the applicant is optimistic rather than pessimistic. Another option is for the applicant to discuss a skill that he or she has improved during their most previous position. This shows the interviewer that the applicant is capable of making improvements and continues development. The best recommendation that an interviewer could follow would be to keep an open mind and weigh all the answers to all of the questions with more equality. Why should the answer to one single question determine whether or not an applicant get a job offer? If the answer from the applicant is vague perhaps more probing questions should be asked. When uncertainty arises, especially in an interview situation, nerves are present and it can be difficult to come up with an answer to the question “What is your biggest weakness” on the spot without coming across as a bumbling, mumbling buffoon.

Reference List

Kreiter, R., & Kinicki, A. (2013). Organizational Behavior (10th ed.). New York: MCGraw-Hill.

Ployhart, R. E., & Holtz, B. C. (2008). THE DIVERSITY–VALIDITY DILEMMA: STRATEGIES FOR
REDUCING RACIOETHNIC AND SEX SUBGROUP DIFFERENCES AND ADVERSE
IMPACT IN SELECTION. Personnel Psychology, 61(1), 153-172.
doi:10.1111/j.1744-6570.2008.00109.x