Relative Effect of Applicant Work Experience and Academic Qualification on Selection Interview Decisions: A Study of Between-Sample Generalizability

This study examined the relative effect of two job-relevant factors, work experience and academic qualifications, on selection-interview decision making. The results for managers and students were compared in a 2 × 3 × 2 (Work Experience × Academic Qualifications × Sample) factorial design. Twelve videotapes of simulated interviews were used, with two hypothetical job candidates representing each of six treatment conditions. Based on omega squared statistics, results show that for managers, the effect of work experience was consistently greater than that of academic qualifications. For students, the effect of academic qualifications was relatively larger than that of work experience. Decision type moderated between-sample effect differences. Implications of the findings are discussed in terms of predictor utilization in interview decision making.