Defining the components of communication competence from the perspective of Thai employment interviewers

Abstract

Although employment interviews have been a focus for research since the1970s, most interview studies have focused on how the communication styles/behaviors affect interviewers’ hiring decisions (Carl, 1980; Fletcher, 1990; Gallois, Callan, & Palmer, 1992; Gifford & Wilkinson, 1985; Hollandsworth, Kazelskis, Stevens, & Dressel, 1979). I have been unable to find any published research which directly questions what communication competence is from the interviewer’s point of view. This dissertation examined the concept of communication competence in a Thai organization context. In this research, the 28 banking and financial recruiters from 14 organizations were interviewed using the narrative approach. This study shows that the concept was defined by five C: content, confidence, cooperation, control and character. In order to be competent communicators, one does not only need to have knowledge and skills, but the candidates should also hold a morality such as integrity. Overall, 4 components of communication competence (cognitive, behavioral, psychological, and morality) emerged which revealed slight differences as compared to other Western scholars, such as Cooley and Roach, Hymes, McCroskey, and Spitzberg.