JOB POSTINGS AND THE DECISION TO INTERVIEW - A VERBAL PROTOCOL ANALYSIS

The authors investigated the process of deciding whether or not to app ly for jobs, using the verbal protocol analysis (VPA) technique. Verba l reports provided by participants as they evaluated job postings and decided whether or not to interview for jobs were analyzed to assess w hat information was heeded, the impact of incomplete or unusual inform ation, and the role of inferences regarding job characteristics and pr obability of hire. Results indicated that location and compensation re ceived the most attention and that participants also responded to the amount of information provided. In addition, participants made inferen ces about unobserved characteristics and probability of hire, although the latter played little role in the decision to interview. The study also provided support for the usefulness of VPA by demonstrating that neither the verbal protocol process nor the use of prompts significan tly influenced participants' decisions (as compared with the decisions of control groups).