The effects of organizational, website, and applicant characteristics on perceptions of person-organization fit, organizational attraction, and job application intentions

There has been a rise in the use of electronic recruiting (e-recruiting) methods in organizations (Capelli, 2001). One reason for this is that these methods reach a wide array of applicants, and decrease the costs associated with attracting qualified candidates (Stone, Lukaszewski, & Isenhour, 2005). In spite of the widespread use of these systems, relatively few studies have examined organizational, website, and applicant factors that affect the effectiveness of these systems. Thus, the primary purpose of this study was to examine the main and interactive effects of (a) organizational values displayed on a website (relationship vs. individual achievement orientation), and (b) website characteristics (a website that gives applicants a means of contacting a current employee vs. a website that does not provide a means of contacting a current employee), on perceptions of person-organization fit, organizational attraction, and job application intentions. In addition, this study assessed the degree to which applicant cultural values (collectivism and individualism) were related to the same criterion variables.