The role of political climate and political orientation in recruiter and applicant assessments of fit: Integration of political skill into the interviewing contex

While much research has focused on the role of P-O fit within the interview process, there remain some limitations. Specifically, these concerns revolve around three issues: (1) dimensionality of P-O fit, (2) role of individual differences, and (3) the social interplay that occurs between recruiters and applicants. In an effort to address these concerns, this dissertation was driven by three objectives: (1) to examine how applicants and recruiters use their political skills to influence fit perceptions, (2) to determine how applicant and recruiter perceptions of political influence compatibility impact the interviewing process, and (3) to inspect the role of recruiter and applicant evaluations of one another in the interview process. Data was collected from actual interviews (n = 118 dyads) that took place in a mid-sized Southeastern university. To gather the data, a field study using a 3-wave longitudinal design and multiple data sources was used. A combination of hierarchical multiple regression and logistic regression was used to analyze a number of hypotheses and post-hoc analyses. Analysis provided support for some aspects of the model.