Do Attractiveness and Competition Influence Faking Intentions in Selection Interviews?

Abstract

Abstract. Faking models assume that characteristics of applicants as well as contextual factors determine whether applicants intend to fake. However, previous research on faking in interviews mainly investigated applicants’ characteristics while research on contextual factors is largely missing. Accordingly, we examined the influence of two such factors – attractiveness of the organization and competition among applicants – on the intention to fake in an interview. We conducted a vignette study with a 2 × 2 between-subjects design in which we varied competition and attractiveness. We found that attractiveness influenced faking intentions. However, we found no effect for competition. Accordingly, interviewers should be aware that applicants are more prone to faking when they want to get access to attractive organizations.