Contingent decision-making in recruitment, job search and job choice

In this dissertation an integrative approach to applicant decision making was presented. One of the central propositions of this approach is that qualitatively different decision models are used at different points, and under different circumstances, in the recruitment process. Following the work of Beach and Mitchell (1978), a contingency model for applicant decision making was developed which proposed that an applicant will select the decision strategy with the greatest net benefit (expected benefit minus expected cost) of using a given model. In addition, this model recognized that people have cognitive limits, and, will use strategies which reduce the information processing burdens placed on them. To test the contingency model of applicant decision making the empirical work in this dissertation experimentally examined how variation in: (a) the complexity of the decision, (b) the importance of the decision, and (c) the type of recruiting decision affected the decision strategy or model chosen by the individual. The complexity of the decision was manipulated by changes in the number of alternatives and organizations from which the subject must choose. The importance of the decision was manipulated by varying the reversibility, magnitude of the outcomes and costs involved in the decision, and potential significance of this decision on other aspects of the decision makers life. Finally, the type of decision was manipulated by asking subjects to either make decisions either accepting/rejecting potential plant trips or accepting/rejecting job offers. Support was found in a number of measures of explicit decision behavior that complexity of the decision did influence applicant decision making. In addition, some support was found for the hypothesis that type of decision influences decision behaviors. No support was found for either the direct or interactive influence of importance. Overall, the results support the work of researchers like Soelberg (1967) and Einhorn (1971) who suggest that decision makers do not use the same decision strategy throughout the recruitment process. In addition, the results suggest that job choice research would benefit from a careful evaluation of the influence of different kinds of experiences an applicant has during the recruitment process