Genre-Based Analysis of Move Structure of Job Interviews at Algerian Universities

Abstract

This study examined the move structures of employment interviews in faculty hiring at the tertiary level in the Algerian context. Research data includes a corpus of 40 authentic job interviews recorded at three Algerian universities during real faculty hiring between 2015 and 2024, besides the researcher’s ethnographic notes. The corpus was analysed to identify the communication purposes and overall schematic structure of job interviews for an assistant lecturer position in the Department of English. Drawing on the genre-based theory, the thematic analysis of job interviews' conversation and the requirements of the faculty position, qualitative analysis revealed that at the macro level, the interaction between faculty hiring committees and candidates can be classified into four major prototypical rhetorical moves: introduction or self-introduction, research field-presentation, negotiating expertise and faculty position tasks, and future plans. The move of each interview may incorporate further steps. The study significantly contributes to establishing this promotional genre in academia. In the light of the findings, pedagogical implications and new research directions are proposed.