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Addressing the entrepreneur in the room: Entrepreneurial exit and impression management tactics in the employment interview context

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  • Waddingham, Jacob A.
  • Hamrick, Alexander B.
  • Zachary, Miles A.

Abstract

Despite the recent scholarly attention to the challenges entrepreneurs may face when attempting to rejoin the traditional workforce, we do not have a clear understanding of how recruiters respond to the various impression management (IM) tactics former entrepreneurs might use during employment interviews. This is important because IM tactics shape how former entrepreneurs are viewed by recruiters and ultimately impact their employment prospects. We examine the effects of IM tactics in an online survey experiment with professional recruiters, finding support for most of our hypotheses. Specifically, we show that former entrepreneurs who exit by selling their venture can benefit from using tactical-assertive IM tactics to positively influence recruiters’ hiring recommendations. We contribute to the literature on entrepreneurial career transitions and hiring decision-making.

Suggested Citation

  • Waddingham, Jacob A. & Hamrick, Alexander B. & Zachary, Miles A., 2023. "Addressing the entrepreneur in the room: Entrepreneurial exit and impression management tactics in the employment interview context," Journal of Business Venturing Insights, Elsevier, vol. 19(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jobuve:v:19:y:2023:i:c:s2352673422000683
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbvi.2022.e00370
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Syeda Tayyaba Ijaz, 2024. "Impression management strategies, entrepreneurial reputation, and financial resource acquisition: an empirical study in entrepreneurship," Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research, Springer;UNESCO Chair in Entrepreneurship, vol. 14(1), pages 1-11, December.
    2. Krukowski, Kipp A. & Flink, Nicole A. & Edwards, Bryan D., 2023. "Why are you selling your business? Understanding signaling effects of seller rationale at time of entrepreneurial exit," Journal of Business Venturing Insights, Elsevier, vol. 20(C).

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