Despite résumés being evaluated as an initial step in most employment decisions for professional-level job openings, researchers have not adequately examined the influence that applicants' résumé qualifications may have on recruiters' initial impressions of applicants' employability. Based on prior research, we hypothesised that recruiters' perceptions of job applicant employability will be associated with varying levels of job applicants' academic qualifications, work experience, and extracurricular activities as reported on applicants' résumés. Experienced recruiters ( N = 244) evaluated 122 actual applicant résumés of recent or soon-to-be college graduates. Results supported our hypotheses, indicating that recruiters' perceptions of applicants' academic qualifications, work experience, and extracurricular activities interacted to predict recruiters' perceptions of applicants' employability.Alors que les curriculum vitae sont évalués lors de l'étape initiale de la plupart des procédures de recrutement pour pourvoir des nouveaux emplois d'un niveau professionnel élevé, les chercheurs n'ont pas suffisamment étudié l'influence des qualifications inscrites dans le curriculum vitae sur les premières impressions des recruteurs quant à l'employabilité des candidats. Basée sur une recherche antérieure, notre hypothèse pose que les perceptions des recruteurs de l'employabilité des candidats à un emploi varieraient selon les qualifications académiques du candidat, l'expérience professionnelle et les activités extraprofessionnelles telles qu'elles sont présentées dans le curriculum vitae. Des recruteurs expérimentés ( N = 244) ont évalué 122 curriculum vitae de candidats réels récemment ou sur le point d'être diplômés de l'université. Les résultats confirment nos hypothèses. Les perceptions des recruteurs quant aux qualifications universitaires des candidats, leur expérience professionnelle et leurs autres activités interagissent et permettent de prédire les perceptions que les recruteurs ont de l'employabilité des candidats.

SummaryIn the last 10 years, research devoted to the construct of leader-member exchange (LMX) has increasingly relied on the tenets of social exchange as a theoretical foundation to propose and test relationships between supervisor-subordinate dyads and variables of significant consequence. Despite the theory underpinning such relationships, researchers continue to measure LMX with scales developed to assess vertical dyad linkage (VDL), not social exchange. To address this concern, we investigated the content validity of LMX7 (the most widely cited measure of LMX) and LMX-MDM (a popular multidimensional measure of LMX). Findings from content validity assessments by 25 LMX experts revealed LMX7 and LMX-MDM items are not representative of the construct of social exchange. As such, we undertook a series of studies to develop a new scale we label, leader-member social exchange (LMSX). Results indicate LMSX is able to assess different, as well as the same, components of the supervisor-subordinate relationship as previous scales while being more theoretically consistent with the notion of social exchange.

A neglected area of performance appraisal research concerns the context within which the appraisal process occurs. For a sample of exempt employees, measures were developed that assessed system components of the appraisal context. The contribution of these variables (complexity, implementation, and follow-up) to the prediction of 2 measures of employee reactions to performance appraisal (review session satisfaction and appraisal system satisfaction) was compared with the contribution of a more frequently studied set of variables-supervisory behaviors in the review session. The relationship of a salary linkage variable to the 2 outcome criteria also was assessed. The supervisory session variables were related to session satisfaction, and the system contextual variables were primarily related to system satisfaction. Salary linkage was associated with system satisfaction.Performance appraisal research has concentrated on a number of areas, for instance, the appraisal instrument, counseling and development of appraisees, rater training programs, and cognitive processes (see Banks & Murphy, 1985;Napier & Latham, 1986). In terms of the adoption of performance appraisal innovations by organizations, the impact of this research has been relatively limited in proportion to the amount of effort expended (Banks & Murphy, 198S). In comparison to other performance appraisal topics, the context in which performance appraisal is conducted has received only limited study. This is particularly interesting because the environment in which the performance appraisal process occurs has been designated as a source of considerable influence on the appraisal process (

SummaryFocusing on the employee well-being component of positive organizational behavior (POB), this study explores the relationship between organization provided benefit programs and POB. Specifically, we ask the question: are employees' use and perceived value of a work-life benefit package associated with their positive attitudes and behaviors in the workplace? Grounded in social exchange theory and the norm of reciprocity, we develop and estimate a model identifying differential relationships of benefit use and perceived benefit value with employee attitudinal and performance outcomes. Employing the multigroup method, the hypothesized model was fit to the data of two dissimilar organizations. Results support our hypothesis that providing work-life benefits employees use and/or value is part of a positive exchange between the employee and employer. This exchange is positively related to employees' feelings of perceived organizational support and affective commitment to the organization and reciprocation in the form of higher levels of task and contextual performance behaviors. Results also revealed that employees' perceptions of benefit program value play a critical role regardless of actual program use in influencing attitudes and behavior. Our findings emphasize the importance of valuing employees and investing in their well-being inside as well as outside the workplace.

Research shows recruiters infer dispositional characteristics from job applicants' resumes and use these inferences in evaluating applicants' employability. However, the reliability and validity of these inferences have not been empirically tested. Using data collected from 244 recruiters, we found low levels of estimated interrater reliability when they reviewed entry-level applicants' resumes and made inferences regarding applicants' personality traits. Moreover, when recruiters' inferences of applicant personality were correlated with applicants' actual Big Five personality scores, results indicated that recruiters' inferences lacked validity, with the possible exceptions of extraversion and openness to experience. Finally, despite being largely unreliable and invalid, recruiters' inferences of applicants' extraversion, openness to experience, and conscientiousness predicted the recruiters' subsequent employability assessments of the applicants.

This study investigated participants' reactions to employee testimonials presented on recruitment Web sites. The authors manipulated the presence of employee testimonials, richness of media communicating testimonials (video with audio vs. picture with text), and representation of racial minorities in employee testimonials. Participants were more attracted to organizations and perceived information as more credible when testimonials were included on recruitment Web sites. Testimonials delivered via video with audio had higher attractiveness and information credibility ratings than those given via picture with text. Results also showed that Blacks responded more favorably, whereas Whites responded more negatively, to the recruiting organization as the proportion of minorities shown giving testimonials on the recruitment Web site increased. However, post hoc analyses revealed that use of a richer medium (video with audio vs. picture with text) to communicate employee testimonials tended to attenuate these racial effects.

Information provided on applicants' resumes provides a convenient, cost-effective means for applicant screening. We sought to determine if recruiters' assessments of the presence of certain types of information on job applicants' resumes was related to applicants' general mental ability and personality traits. Forty recruiters from 35 organizations assessed the extent to which specified items were present on the resumes of job applicants. Results indicated relationships between recruiters' judgments regarding applicants' resume information and applicants' cognitive ability and Big Five personality characteristics. Implications for the use of resume information in the selection process are discussed.

In the last 10 years, research devoted to the construct of leader-member exchange (LMX) has increasingly relied on the tenets of social exchange as a theoretical foundation to propose and test relationships between supervisor-subordinate dyads and variables of significant consequence. Despite the theory underpinning such relationships, researchers continue to measure LMX with scales developed to assess vertical dyad linkage (VDL), not social exchange. To address this concern, we investigated the content validity of LMX7 (the most widely cited measure of LMX) and LMX-MDM (a popular multidimensional measure of LMX). Findings from content validity assessments by 25 LMX experts revealed LMX7 and LMX-MDM items are not representative of the construct of social exchange. As such, we undertook a series of studies to develop a new scale we label, leader-member social exchange (LMSX). Results indicate LMSX is able to assess different, as well as the same, components of the supervisor-subordinate relationship as previous scales while being more theoretically consistent with the notion of social exchange.