Is Friendly Always better and Alert Always Worse? The Mechanisms of Different Styles and Alert Presence in AI Interview

As technology evolves, e-interviewing gains prominence for its efficiency and resource-saving benefits. Despite this, AI interviews consistently elicit negative candidate attitudes. To improve perceptions of this emerging method, we examine candidate responses to different AI interview designs. Specifically, we explore how interview style and monitoring alerts affect perceptions of organizational attractiveness and attitude to rejection. Our experiment reveals that alerts enhance both the positive relationship between a friendly interview style and organization attractiveness, as well as the negative relationship between a friendly style and attitude towards rejection, both mediated by perceived warmth and competence. These findings shed light on the impact of alerts on candidate perceptions, informing our understanding of AI interview design. They also offer practical insights for organizations employing such systems, illustrating the intricate dynamics between interview styles, alert cues, and candidate perceptions, ultimately shaping organizational attractiveness and response to rejection.