How Does Evaluative Content in Job Advertisements Influence Job Seekers Perception of Organizational Fit?

Abstract: The contemporary job advertisement is characterized by enhancing organizational attributes that are perceived as desirable. To what extent this evaluative way of writing advertisements affects job seekers perception of organizations is an area that requires more attention within research. How individuals subjectively feel that they will fit with an organizational context is referred to as Person-Organization (P-O) Fit. P-O fit is connected to a positive organizational performance by, for example, reducing turnover and increasing employee satisfaction (KristofBrown, Zimmerman, & Johnson, 2005). This study differs from previous research on P-O fit by taking the job seeker’s perspective early in the recruitment process, to answer the research question of to what extent the evaluative factor influences the perception of fit. 200 engineering students were assigned to read 4 job advertisements manipulating the evaluative factor. Participants assessed each advertisement on 6 items measuring perceived P-O fit. Individuals’ tendency to react to evaluative content was measured using a personality inventory by Bäckström and Björklund (2013). Advertisements depicting organizations in an evaluative manner were hypothesized to receive higher P-O fit ratings than descriptive advertisements due to the desirability in evaluative content (H1). A match in the evaluative factor between person and advertisement was hypothesized to increase ratings of perceived organizational fit (H2). The findings did not support the presented hypotheses. Findings suggest that students do not differentiate between evaluative and descriptive advertisements. Implications and reasons for this are discussed.