Predicting the Persistence and Performance of Newly Recruited Telephone Interviewers

Abstract

The impact of personal characteristics and work environment on telephone interviewer job persistence, efficiency, and effectiveness is examined. Data included interviewer demographics, experience, skills, and attitudes, as well as time-clock and production statistics from 383 newly recruited telephone interviewers working on two large-scale national surveys. Findings indicate that interviewer success results from a complex mix of individual and workplace characteristics. Workplace factors such as location of facility, shift worked, and study assignment appear more relevant to predicting persistence in the job, while individual attributes, including telephone skills, previous experience, and having a confident yet realistic attitude toward survey research are more closely related to job performance. These findings have implications for both the recruitment of and the training of successful telephone interviewers.