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Article
Publication date: 4 December 2019

Bernadeta Goštautaitė, Ilona Bučiūnienė, Wolfgang Mayrhofer, Karolis Bareikis and Eglė Bertašiūtė

The purpose of this paper is to explain why entry-level job applicants intend to leave their home country to work abroad by adopting the framework of country embeddedness (i.e…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explain why entry-level job applicants intend to leave their home country to work abroad by adopting the framework of country embeddedness (i.e. career and community embeddedness).

Design/methodology/approach

Hypotheses are tested using survey data of a sample of prospective healthcare entry-level job applicants (i.e. last year medical students) using hierarchical regression analyses and bootstrapping procedures.

Findings

Results show that, first, home country career and community embeddedness are negatively associated with self-initiated expatriation intention (SIE-intention). Second, developmental feedback reduces SIE-intention. This relationship is at least partly due to increased home country career embeddedness. Third, national identity reduces SIE-intention. The relationship is at least partly due to increased home country community embeddedness.

Originality/value

This paper advances the understanding of SIE by focusing on home country factors associated with the decision to work abroad, whereas the majority of current research mainly considers host country variables.

Details

Career Development International, vol. 25 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1362-0436

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 November 2014

Enrica N. Ruggs, Michelle R. Hebl, Sarah Singletary Walker and Naomi Fa-Kaji

The purpose of this paper is to examine the interactive effects of gender and age on evaluations of job applicants. Given the double jeopardy hypothesis, the authors might…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the interactive effects of gender and age on evaluations of job applicants. Given the double jeopardy hypothesis, the authors might anticipate that older women would be denigrated most in hiring evaluations. However, given expectations of normative gender behavior, the authors might anticipate that older men would be penalized most for not already having stable employment. This study aims to examine which hypothesis best describes selection biases based on age and gender.

Design/methodology/approach

Stimuli depicting male and female job applicants at the various ages were developed. The stimuli were standardized by collecting facial photos of older White men and women at ages 20, 40, and 60, and morphing these faces onto standardized bodies using Adobe Photoshop. Participants viewed six stimuli, one from each age by gender combination, and made evaluations across job relevant dimensions.

Findings

Results showed an interaction between age and gender, such that older male applicants were evaluated more negatively than older female and younger male applicants. These findings support for the violation of gender normative behavior hypothesis.

Practical implications

This study has implications for organizational leaders who can use this information to provide training for selection officers concerning biases against older workers and how to avoid them.

Originality/value

Original, novel stimuli are used in an experimental design to examine the effects of age in employment in a standardized manner which controls for extraneous variables such as attractiveness across age.

Details

Journal of Managerial Psychology, vol. 29 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0268-3946

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 May 1989

Patricia A. Greenfield, Ronald J. Karren and Lawrence S. Zacharias

Every employer, unless he or she has no pool of applicants orpotential applicants to choose from, engages in hiring choices. Whilethe hiring process may vary, both from one…

Abstract

Every employer, unless he or she has no pool of applicants or potential applicants to choose from, engages in hiring choices. While the hiring process may vary, both from one employer to another and from one job to another, some form of screening occurs. In recent years, students of management have noted the proliferation of screening practices in the hiring process, especially in bringing new technologies such as medical and drug testing procedures. Testing and other screening practices, while wide‐ranging both with respect to their ends and means, have raised consistent patterns of concern among job‐seekers, public policy makers and managers themselves. In this monograph a variety of methods of screening and issues of public policy raised by screening procedures are discussed. An overview of United States law regulating the screening process is provided, together with future directions in the area of screening in the US.

Details

Employee Relations, vol. 11 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0142-5455

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 April 2010

Vathsala Wickramasinghe and Lasantha Perera

The purpose of this study is to explore employability skills that employers, university lecturers and graduates value to bring to the workplace, when graduates are applying for…

15965

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore employability skills that employers, university lecturers and graduates value to bring to the workplace, when graduates are applying for entry‐level graduate jobs in the field of computer science in Sri Lanka.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of three samples were selected for this exploratory study, namely, graduates, employers, and university lecturers. Three self‐administered survey questionnaires were developed targeting the three groups. In addition to descriptive statistics, paired sample t‐test, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and correlation analysis were used for the data analysis.

Findings

The findings suggested that there are differences in the priorities given for employability skills by the four groups – male graduates, female graduates, employers, and university lecturers. Further, the findings suggest that employability skills are influenced by the gender of the graduates. Overall, the findings of the study could be used to assist universities, graduates, employers, and career advisers in applying strategic decisions in managing graduates' careers.

Originality/value

Although a considerable amount of the literature addresses employability skills, much of the information is theoretical in nature and offers policy recommendations and prescriptive advice. Further, a majority of the research studies has primarily examined the experiences of a particular higher educational institute where remedial actions were taken to impart employability skills. The paper presents findings of a survey that investigated and compared employability skills that employers, university lecturers and graduates value to bring to the workplace when graduates are applying for entry‐level graduate jobs.

Details

Education + Training, vol. 52 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0040-0912

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 November 2020

Lorena Ronda, Carmen Abril and Carmen Valor

This research draws upon decision-making theory to study job choice decisions. Past studies measured job choice as a single-stage, compositional process addressing the weights and…

Abstract

Purpose

This research draws upon decision-making theory to study job choice decisions. Past studies measured job choice as a single-stage, compositional process addressing the weights and part-worth utilities of a selected number of job and organizational attributes. However, the presence of noncompensatory attributes and whether the utilities and weights attached to the attributes vary among applicants have not been addressed. The authors posit that a conjoint analysis is an accurate methodological technique to explain job choice and overcome these limitations.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a random sample of 571 participants, we conducted an adaptive choice-based conjoint analysis to estimate the weighted utilities of eight employer attributes and a cluster analysis to identify differences in preferences among employee profiles.

Findings

The results reveal that the use of the conjoint technique contributes to the literature in two ways. First, the results demonstrate the relevance of nonnegotiable attributes in the design of job offers. The results show that Salary, Flexibility and Ethics serve as cutoff points. Second, the results highlight the importance of considering the latent preferences of applicants in crafting effective job offers and adequately segmenting job applicants. More specifically, the following three groups are identified: Career-seeking applicants, Sustainability-oriented applicants and Pragmatic applicants.

Practical implications

The managerial implications of this study are relevant for HR and employer brand managers since a better understanding of the job-choice process and implementing a decompositional method to understand applicants' preferences could allow firms to provide more customized and relevant job offers to employees of interest.

Originality/value

This study concludes that to implement efficient employer-attraction branding strategies, employers should understand the attributes considered noncompensatory by their employee target audience, promote the most valued/important attributes to ensure that job offers are customized to fit employees' underlying preferences, and devise trade-off strategies among compensatory attributes.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 59 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 March 2010

Richard G. Brody

The purpose of this paper is to explore the various methods available when conducting a pre‐employment screening investigation in attempt to hire honest employees, those less…

6773

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the various methods available when conducting a pre‐employment screening investigation in attempt to hire honest employees, those less likely to commit fraud against their organization. While many companies perform the most basic type of background check, this paper suggests that companies need to go beyond the basics when hiring its employees.

Design/methodology/approach

By reviewing the existing literature and conducting interviews with experts in the area of background investigation services, the paper makes suggestions for companies to follow.

Findings

Merely relying on the most basic background check may lead to the hiring of the wrong employee, one likely to commit fraud. Companies should consider performing other screening techniques before hiring an employee.

Practical implications

Background checks have become a widely‐recognized method of pre‐employment screening. However, these checks are just one part of the employee selection process and companies should understand both the practical and legal implications of conducting additional testing.

Originality/value

The guidance provided in this paper will aid companies in the pre‐employment selection process. Both basic and more advanced techniques are discussed and companies can choose any or all of the recommended methods.

Details

Management Research Review, vol. 33 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-8269

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 April 2013

Saul Fine

The purpose of this study was to examine the usefulness of pre‐employment integrity testing in culturally distinct samples.

1004

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to examine the usefulness of pre‐employment integrity testing in culturally distinct samples.

Design/methodology/approach

Integrity test scores from a total of 1,632 job applicants from three large banking corporations in Colombia, Israel, and Ukraine were studied and matched against a standard criterion of self‐reported counterproductive work behaviors.

Findings

Mean test scores differed significantly across the countries, as hypothesized, while no evidence of adverse impact was found for age or gender in any of the samples. In addition, consistently significant validities were maintained in each country, resulting in the potential utility for mitigating counterproductive work behaviors among employees.

Research limitations/implications

The results of this study are believed to make theoretical and practical contributions to our current understanding of integrity testing in personnel selection in cross‐cultural settings. As such, the findings may be of particular importance to the numerous organizations and practitioners around the world administering integrity tests today. These results notwithstanding, future cross‐cultural studies of this kind should include external performance measures in order to investigate possible method biases related to the use of self‐reported criteria.

Originality/value

Despite extensive research on integrity testing in recent decades, this is one of the few studies to look at cross‐cultural integrity testing, and one of the first to examine integrity testing in the specific countries studied here.

Details

Personnel Review, vol. 42 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0048-3486

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 March 2017

Rupali Singh, Ginni Chawla, Sonal Agarwal and Avani Desai

The purpose of the paper is to explore the antecedents of employability from the employer’s perspective to provide sustainable employment and to develop a measurement scale.

1119

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to explore the antecedents of employability from the employer’s perspective to provide sustainable employment and to develop a measurement scale.

Design/methodology/approach

In the study, the survey-based approach has been adopted. The authors developed an instrument following extensive literature review and further pre-tested the instrument with experts drawn from the academics. The data collection was monitored following Dillman’s (2007) total design test method. Finally, 114 usable responses were collected. The data were further tested for normal assumptions. Orthogonal and parsimonious constructs were derived following exploratory factor analysis, and the construct validity was checked using confirmatory factor analysis.

Findings

The following antecedents of employability were obtained: innovative skills and innovative abilities along with the knowledge, innovative abilities, personality factors, career-building traits, emotional intelligence and efficacy beliefs.

Research limitations/implications

The authors observed that the present study like other survey-based research has its own limitations. Currently, cross-sectional data were used, which inherit some serious limitations like endogeneity and common method bias. However, utmost care was taken to minimize the effects of endogeneity and common method bias using some suggested measures in the existing literature.

Social implications

The findings and conclusions are expected to aid students, academicians and practitioners in developing an understanding of employability. Moreover, these antecedents can be developed in graduates along with their higher education as per the requirements of the industry.

Originality/value

This paper is an attempt to develop a scale for measurement of employability in the education sector.

Book part
Publication date: 10 April 2007

Kay L. Levine

How do prosecutors behave when the state puts them in charge of solving social problems? Drawing on interviews with prosecutors in California, this article investigates the degree…

Abstract

How do prosecutors behave when the state puts them in charge of solving social problems? Drawing on interviews with prosecutors in California, this article investigates the degree to which problem-oriented strategies can transform the conventional prosecutorial role. The data show that problem-oriented prosecutors regard themselves as more responsive to the communities they serve and more inclined to develop creative and broad-ranging strategies to manage deviance within these communities. But there are significant limitations to the social worker role embedded in the problem orientation. First, problem-solving approaches are most compatible with chronic, low-level criminal offenses that hold little professional allure for prosecutors, who therefore have little incentive (at least in traditional professional terms) to devote time and energy to solving them. Second, the problem-oriented model produces among prosecutors a challenging role conflict, as the skills required for effective, creative problem-solving contrast sharply with those traits that traditionally define a good prosecutor. If problem-solving strategies are to effectively take hold, therefore, the prosecutorial role must be reconceptualized and the institution of prosecution reconstituted to accommodate a wider range of attitudes and actions.

Details

Studies in Law, Politics and Society
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-0-7623-1324-2

Article
Publication date: 1 June 2015

Nick Drydakis

The purpose of this paper is to estimate whether job applicants who have obtained a BSc in economics from 15 UK universities face different labour market prospects. The author…

2259

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to estimate whether job applicants who have obtained a BSc in economics from 15 UK universities face different labour market prospects. The author examines whether university entry standards and Russell Group membership affect UK economics applicants’ occupational access and entry-level annual salaries when unobserved heterogeneities, such as ability, motivation, family characteristics and networks, are minimized.

Design/methodology/approach

The author evaluate the research question by recording the job search processes of 90 British economics applicants from randomly selected universities. The key elements of the approach are as follows: third-year undergraduate students apply for early career jobs that are relevant to their studies. Applications are closely matched in terms of age, ethnicity, experience and other core characteristics. Differential treatment in the access to vacancies and entry-level annual salaries per university applicant are systematically measured.

Findings

By observing as much information as a firm does, the estimations suggest that both entry standards and Russell Group membership positively affect applicants’ labour market prospects. Although the firms cannot evaluate by themselves whether graduates from highly reputable universities are more or less capable and motivated than graduates from less reputable universities, it appears that the university attended affects firms’ recruitment policies. Importantly, valuable variables that capture firms’ and jobs’ heterogeneities, such as occupational variation, regions, workplace size, establishment age, and the existence of trade unions and human resources, are also considered and provide new results.

Practical implications

Understanding the impact of entry standards and university reputation on students’ labour market outcomes is critical to understanding the role of human capital and screening strategies. In addition, obtaining accurate estimates of the payoff of attending a university with a high entry threshold and reputation is of great importance not only to the parents of prospective students who foot tuition bills but also to the students themselves. Furthermore, universities will be interested in the patterns estimated by this study, which will allow recent UK economists to evaluate the current employment environment. In addition, universities should be keen to know how their own graduates have fared in the labour market compared with graduates of other universities.

Originality/value

In the current study, the author attempt to solve the problem of firms’ seeing more information than econometricians by looking at an outcome that is determined before firms see any unobservable characteristics. In the current study, ability, motivation, family characteristics and networks cannot affect applicants’ access to vacancies and entry-level salaries. The current study can estimate the effect of university enrolment on applicants’ occupational access and entry-level salaries, controlling for unobserved characteristics that would themselves affect subsequent outcomes in the labour market.

Details

International Journal of Manpower, vol. 36 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7720

Keywords

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