Ageism in Job Interviews

This book investigates age categorizations and stereotyping in job interviews by drawing on a multimodal discourse analytical approach. While previous research on ageism has focused on what happens before or after the job interview, there is substantial evidence supporting the idea that the job interview is a pivotal moment in this respect as well. This is because the way in which the interaction unfolds significantly influences not only recruiters’ ultimate hiring decisions, but also candidates’ interest in pursuing the job offer further. This phase in the recruitment process is thus deserving of further scrutiny when it comes to ageism. The authors delve into age stereotypes regarding ‘old’ as well as ‘young’ age and tease out how they are ‘talked into being’ during job interviews, both by recruiters and candidates. By shedding light on the discursive dynamics of age-based prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination, this books thus aims to further understanding regarding how ageism actually plays out in in real life job interview interactions. The book will be of interest to academics working in fields including interactional sociolinguistics, pragmatics, diversity studies, human resource management and discursive psychology.

Dorien Van De Mieroop is Professor of Linguistics at KU Leuven, Belgium. Her main research interests lie in the discursive analysis of identity in institutional interactions and narratives.

Federica Previtali is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki, Finland. Her doctoral research focused on age and ageism in workplace interactions.

Melina De Dijn is a postdoctoral researcher at KU Leuven, Belgium. Her doctoral research revolved around identity construction in Flemish job interviews, with a particular focus on the ‘War for Talent’ recruitment context.