Responses to refusal in online recruitment communication: A Chinese contextual study

While refusals as a speech act have been extensively studied, little research has explored how individuals respond to refusals, particularly in online communication contexts. This study investigates how Chinese job applicants and human resource (HR) staff respond to recruitment refusals both before and after interviews in online settings. Drawing on a dataset of 200 chat logs sourced from two prominent Chinese social media platforms, this research identifies three major categories of refusal response strategies, encompassing 13 distinct types. The findings reveal that both job applicants and HR staff tend to accept refusals, albeit in differing manners. Applicants employ more diverse and verbose responses compared to HR. The study highlights applicants' heightened rapport management awareness, while HR's responses suggest a focus on impression management on behalf of their companies. Furthermore, our analysis reveals that both parties utilize more strategies in post-interview refusal responses, reflecting stage-specific pragmatic awareness. This study highlights the complexities of interpersonal dynamics in recruitment communication and provides insights into how participants navigate refusal responses to manage rapport and impressions.