Studies from University of Zagreb Further Understanding of Psychology (Just Faking It or Faking It Well: Candidate Success In Manipulating Personality Interview Responses).

This article focuses on research conducted at the University of Zagreb, Croatia, examining job applicants' ability to distort their personality responses during simulated selection interviews for a call center manager position. The study involved students and recent graduates (N=102) who were assessed on extraversion and honesty/humility under honest and faking conditions, with evaluations from employment experts (N=8) defining ideal responses. Results indicated that candidates were partially successful in faking honesty/humility but less so with extraversion, and no significant link was found between faking success and prior job knowledge or interview familiarity. The findings raise questions about the validity of personality-based interviews and suggest the need for further research. [Extracted from the article]