Organizational attractiveness and individual differences: Are diverse applicants attracted by different factors?

Recruiting is a critical staffing activity for organizations, but its impac t on the job seeker is poorly understood. Much remains to be learned about individual differences in reactions to recruitment efforts. This paper disc usses the results of a study of MBA candidates that examined (a) the relati ve importance of various job, organizational, diversity, and recruiter char acteristics on assessments of organizational attractiveness, and (b) the ex tent to which these assessments differed when applicant race and gender are taken into account. Results confirmed that relative to organizational, div ersity, and recruiter characteristics, job factors were reported as most im portant to organizational attraction. However, within the job, diversity, a nd recruiter characteristics categories interesting gender and/or race diff erences emerged. The implications of these differences for research and for practices are offered.