Assessment of applicant work values through interviews: The impact of focus and functional relevance

Using a sample of graduate management students interviewed by corporate rec ruiters, this study examined how the assessment of applicant work values du ring employment interviews is affected by the: focus of the interview and t he functional relevance of the work value to the recruiter's organization. Hypotheses are derived from recent person perception research, information processing research and goal-setting research. Results suggest that intervi ew focus and functional relevance affect work value assessment accuracy.