The development and validation of a multi-dimensional job interview self-efficacy scale

Abstract Psychological reactions towards personnel selection are acquiring growing importance, as they significantly impact applicants' performance in the selection process. This study introduces the Multi-dimensional Job Interview Self-efficacy (MJISE) construct and its operationalisation into a sound MJISE measurement. We propose that MJISE consists of five factors related to interviewees' Self-efficacy: self-promoting, managing demanding interaction with the interviewers, dealing with interview-related anxiety, preparing for the contents and the logistics of the job interview. After developing the items for the MJISE measure, we examined its validity. We tested content validity with an independent panel of job interview experts. Subsequently, two studies dealing with Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses revealed that the multi-dimensionality of MIJSE is represented by a bifactor structure (one general factor and five specific factors, orthogonal to the general factor). We evaluated the external (convergent, discriminant, and predictive) validity for establishing the MJISE factors' plausibility over and beyond other interview-related variables, such as personality traits, obtaining mixed results. The discussion describes the implication of using the MJISE scale in practical job search programs and outlines recommendations for research to improve the scale's robustness further.