When Does Self-Promotion Work?

Based on temporal construal theory, this study examined how temporal distance (i.e., hiring someone for the near vs. distant future) influences the effectiveness of different types of self-promotion, applied by a fictive applicant in a personnel selection interview. Findings of two experiments were in line with our predictions that promoting oneself in a direct way (i.e., referring to one’s own achievements) or in concrete terms (i.e., focusing on situation-specific behaviors) is more successful when applying for immediate entry whereas promoting oneself in an indirect way (i.e., emphasizing connections with others) or in abstract terms (i.e., focusing on traits) is more successful when applying for a vacancy to be filled in the distant future.