JOB APPLICANT SIMILARITY ON COGNITIVE-ABILITY, VOCATIONAL INTERESTS, AND PERSONALITY-CHARACTERISTICS - DO SIMILAR PERSONS CHOOSE SIMILAR JOBS

Authors
LANCASTER SJ COLARELLI SM KING DW BEEHR TA
Citation
Sj. Lancaster et al., JOB APPLICANT SIMILARITY ON COGNITIVE-ABILITY, VOCATIONAL INTERESTS, AND PERSONALITY-CHARACTERISTICS - DO SIMILAR PERSONS CHOOSE SIMILAR JOBS, Educational and psychological measurement, 54(2), 1994, pp. 299-316
Citations number
34
Categorie Soggetti
Psychology, Educational","Psychologym Experimental","Mathematical, Methods, Social Sciences
Journal title
Educational and psychological measurement → ACNP
ISSN journal
00131644
Volume
54
Issue
2
Year of publication
1994
Pages
299 - 316
Database
ISI
SICI code
0013-1644(1994)54:2<299:JASOCV>2.0.ZU;2-1
Abstract
This study examines whether people who have similar cognitive ability, vocational interests, and personality characteristics choose similar jobs. Subjects were 139 job applicants at a private employment agency: 49 individuals applied for general laborer positions, 48 for bookkeep ing positions, and 42 for secretarial positions. As expected, people w ho had similar cognitive ability and vocational interests chose simila r jobs. Contrary to expectations, however, persons who shared similar personality characteristics did not choose similar jobs. The results s uggest implications for personnel selection, attraction-selection theo ry, and applications of human resource management technologies.