Date

2007

Author

Acarlar, Gizem

Metadata

Show full item record

Item Usage Stats

134
views

61
downloads

Cite This

The main purpose of the present study was to explore the effects of characteristics of information given in a job advertisement (amount of information and the specificity of the information) on the potential applicants’ willingness to apply to the job opening with the mediating roles of credibility of and satisfaction from the information, and attraction to the organization. In addition to that, the factors affecting the decision of the applicants to apply for the job posted such as application modes (internet, by hand in the same city the applicant lives, by hand in a different city than the applicant lives), different selection methods (interview, personality test, knowledge test), and personality characteristics (goal orientation and self-efficacy) were investigated. The study was conducted in three phases. In the first phase, one hundred and seven Middle East Technical University (METU) students were used to decide between two alternatives of goal orientation and two self-efficacy scales, which were translated into Turkish and adapted for the current study, to be used in the main study by determining the validity and reliabilities of the scales. The second phase was the manipulation check, conducted to test the clarity and meaningfulness of the newly developed job advertisements and questions related to the research hypotheses. Thirty-two METU students were used for the second phase. The final phase was the main study. One hundred and fifty four METU students from Electrical and Electronics Department were used to examine the hypotheses of the study.The students were randomly assigned to the three different versions of job advertisement. Additionally, a questionnaire package was given to each participant. The results supported most of the main hypotheses and the proposed model except for the mediating effect of satisfaction. Advertisement type affected the willingness to apply to the job of potential applicant and this relation was mediated by credibility and credibility was mediated by attractiveness to the organization. A main effect of application mode was found for change in application decision, but no interaction was found between application mode and different attraction levels. Goal orientation found to be affecting applicants’ decision change for different selection methods. Self-efficacy failed to predict decision change for application for different selection methods. Results are discussed along with the strengths and limitations of the study and suggestions for future research.

Subject Keywords

Social Sciences.

URI

http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12608486/index.pdf
https://hdl.handle.net/11511/17041

Collections

Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis