ABSTRACT
This chapter demonstrates, through an examination of transcripts from two job interviews, how, through a lack of compliance with institutional expectations, the verbal interactions of those participants not deemed trustworthy are misinterpreted. Using an interactionist sociolinguistic approach, it shows how distrust is established between the job interviewer and candidate. The chapter argues that, without trust, no matter how clearly the two interlocutors believe they are communicating with each other and no matter how eloquently the job candidate displays her or his work skills, the interaction is doomed to fail. While personal characteristics which are observable in the interview itself contribute to the staffing supervisor's overall impression, the job candidates provide the staffing supervisor with a wealth of information about themselves even before they have a job interview. The mismatches of the interlocutors' notions of what must be achieved in order to affect a successful job interview can thus lead to communication breakdowns.
