Candidates’ negotiation of their expertise in job interviews

This article discusses how candidates, in job interviews, negotiate their expertise so as to make a good impression on their interviewers. It is based on the analysis of five role-played interviews in French and four authentic interviews in either French or French and English, the candidates’ comments on the impression they had tried to convey and the interviewers’ comments on the impression they had of the candidates. The analysis uses a systemic functional approach and the theory of politeness, and highlights how candidates’ lexico-grammatical choices play a role in their interviewers’ impressions of them. It also shows that the candidates’ discourse and therefore the impression they make is linked to the ongoing interaction with their interviewers. Last, it establishes a useful link between lexico-grammar analysis and impression management theory.