The effect of company recruitment web site orientation on individuals' perceptions of organizational attractiveness

The use of company web pages to attract prospective job applicants has experienced tremendous growth in recent years. To date, very little is known about the process by which recruitment web sites influence individuals' desire to pursue employment with an organization. This study attempts to address this issue by using an experimental design to investigate the relationships among recruitment web site orientation, individuals' expectations concerning the use of Internet technology, web site usability, and organizational attractiveness. Survey results from 252 business students indicated that web site orientation and outcome expectancy influenced organizational attractiveness perceptions through influencing the perceived usability of the website. The implications of such results for firms interested in using recruitment web sites to attract applicants are discussed. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.