Interviews

Title: Interviews

Abstract: Interviews allow employers to learn about workers, but do they also enable workers to learn about firms? Using data on hundreds of thousands of interview reports from Glassdoor, we find that candidates for high-paying jobs are 9 percent more likely to reject a job offer if they believe the interview was easy. Easy interviews appear to convey poor ``fit'' as those who accept offers after easy interviews are one-half of a standard deviation less satisfied with their jobs and 14 percent less likely to remain with their employer for at least one year. Analysis of interview narratives using a large language model reveals that difficult interviews signal colleague ability and opportunities for skill development, whereas easy interviews convey a nonselective process. Interviews offer workers a preview of match quality, highlighting a unique channel through which labor markets may become less efficient if firms fully automate their hiring processes with AI.