Applicant preferences for Web-based versus traditional job postings

The purpose of the current study was to assess the extent to which applicants preferred Web-based job postings to traditional paper-based materials. An integration of the traditional recruitment literature as well as the burgeoning literature related to the use of computer technology led to the development of two primary study hypotheses. First, applicants were expected to prefer Web-based job postings to more traditional paper postings. Second, applicants were expected to prefer jobs posted on Web pages of higher quality to those posted on pages of lower quality. Data collected from 92 undergraduate students provided support for the second hypothesis. Contrary to the first hypothesis, however, paper postings were preferred to those in a Web-based format. A discussion of the implications of these findings is presented along with recommendations for future research in the area. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.