Wanted: clarity, structure and development. A description of the job preferences among job seekers with lower and higher education

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate an instrument measuring young job seekers' preferences for job and organizational characteristics related to job and organizational attractiveness. We developed an instrument for three job and organizational characteristics: type of work, work environment and organizational image. We used the outcomes of a qualitative study among 433 undergraduate students in the Netherlands to generate items and operationalize the job and organizational characteristics. After creating the instrument, we gathered data from a sample of 1,765 undergraduate students to test it. We assessed the reliability of the scales using Cronbach's alpha and performed an exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. In our study, young job seekers seem to associate job and organizational characteristics with aspects other than those measured with existing scales commonly used in this line of research.