The Motivated Applicant: A Conceptual Model of Applicant Information Processing in the Internet Age

Abstract

This brief report integrates multiple self-regulatory theories to propose a conceptual model that acknowledges the job seeker as an active information-processing agent. In doing so, this paper focuses mostly on internet recruitment (e-recruitment) to develop propositions regarding the constructs and mechanisms engaged in the recruitment process. First, a brief review of pertinent theoretical constructs in the areas of employee recruitment, organizational attraction, and individual differences is offered, with a particular emphasis given to e-recruitment. We then propose that job applicants seek out, attend to, and process information in a manner that is influenced by both employer characteristics (and perceived characteristics) and dispositional features of the applicant. Finally, we provide a testable model that can advance recruitment research and provides human resources practitioners with a framework to organize important phenomena that aid in developing recruitment strategies and executing them in a way that enhances person-environment fit.