Organizational trust among job seekers: The role of information‐seeking and reciprocation wariness

Abstract

This study explores job seekers’ information‐seeking and pre‐hire trust, and the role of reciprocation wariness in the development of pre‐hire trust. Individuals seeking a job with a technology company (N = 192) reported their perceptions of the organization’s website usability and perceived similarity to their recruiter, organizational trustworthiness and trust, and intent to accept a job offer. Wariness moderated the relationship between website usability perceptions and trustworthiness. Unexpectedly, the interaction was in the opposite direction of what we predicted. In addition, job seekers’ perceived similarity to their recruiter related to trustworthiness, and trust related to intent to accept a job offer. Our findings suggest that to some extent, recruiting organizations can encourage trust perceptions in the pre‐hire context.

Modeling Corporate Environmental Responsibility Perceptions and Job-Seeking Intentions: Examining the Underlying Mechanism

“…However, one of the most influential definitions of trust is "the willingness of a party to be vulnerable to the actions of another party based on the expectation that the other will perform a particular action important to the trustor" ( [18], p.712). From prospective employees' standpoint, organizational trust refers to their cognitive belief that the recruiting firm will not do anything harmful; rather, it will perform particular functions important to them [19]. A company's environmental orientations provide evidence of its character and principles that help to create trust in the company [20].…”

“…This line of reasoning is also obvious when viewed from the perspective of social identity theory, which posits that individuals who have trust in a group or an organization seek to gain social identity by engaging in that group or organization. Given that applicants' trust in a firm influences their decisions to accept or refuse jobs offered by the firm [19], it is reasonable to expect that prospective employees' trust in an organization should be associated with their job-seeking intentions. Based on these considerations, we proposed the following hypothesis:…”

If I Knew Then What I Know Now: How Realistic Previews of Onboarding Influence Self-Selection and Expectations

“…Our results highlight the importance of including information about onboarding practices in RJPs to job candidates, particularly in organizations where the onboarding is unique, challenging, or disagreeable. Because people changing jobs seek out information to help them make appropriate career choices (Kedharnath et al, 2020), the onboarding preview fills a gap in the job search process. Consistent with signaling theory and previous studies (Wilhelmy et al, 2016), our respondents utilized information about the onboarding practices at the two potential employers in deciding whether to stay in or leave the candidate pool, and to adjust their expectations regarding the workplace experience.…”

Towards Sustainable Corporate Attraction: The Mediating and Moderating Mechanism of Person–Organization Fit

“…Job seekers in the Millennial generation are unlikely to search for jobs if they perceive a mismatch between their KSAs and the working environment of a recruiting firm, as demonstrated by the study findings. Indeed, because job seekers have limited access to a firm's information [65], determining the actual fit between the firm's characteristics and their own is challenging, suggesting that a firm should improve its identity and brand awareness among its community stakeholders, especially job seekers [66]. A firm's recruitment channels (e.g., employee referrals, wordof-mouth, social media, and company website) can be utilized as key sources to boost its brand attractiveness and influence fit perceptions, thereby becoming an "employer of choice" among its future human resources.…”