Although effective job advertisements play a critical role in generating sufficient interest in potential applicants to actively pursue further relations with a public organization, insights on how such job advertisements need to be formulated in order to impact organizational attractiveness are limited. Therefore, this study examines if and how the use of imagery language in mission statements embedded in job advertisements is a valuable pathway to increase the effectiveness of job advertisements. The focus on mission statements is motivated by the fact that the service and society-oriented focus of public organizations is a distinguishing characteristic that can be a strength in a competitive job market. Based on two randomized survey-experiments using the same design (196 bachelor and 703 final-year students), we found that imagery language in mission statements initiates an underlying motivational process in which person-organization fit and mission valence are reinforced, resulting in higher levels of perceived organizational attractiveness.
AhnY. (2022). Mission match and organizational satisfaction: Testing the mediating role of perceived reputation. Public Personnel Management, 51(3), 355–379. https://doi.org/10.1177/00910260221096857
2.
AnderssonL. M.BatemanT. S. (1997). Cynicism in the workplace: Some causes and effects. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 18(5), 449–469. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3100216
AsseburgJ.HombergF.VogelR. (2017). Recruitment messaging, environmental fit and public service motivation. International Journal of Public Sector Management, 31(6), 689–709. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPSM-08-2017-0217
BatorR.CialdiniR. (2000). The application of persuasion theory to the development of effective proenvironmental public service announcements. Journal of Social Issues, 56(3), 527–542. https://doi.org/10.1111/0022-4537.00182
7.
BelloD.LeungK.RadebaughL.TungR.van WitteloostuijnA. (2009). From the editors: Student samples in international business research. Journal of International Business Studies, 40, 361–364. https://doi.org/10.1057/jibs.2008.101
8.
BoonJ.WynenJ.VerhoestK. (2023). Do reputational threats influence the rigidity of US agencies? A dynamic panel data approach. Public Administration Review, 83(6), 1798–1812. https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.13732
9.
BrochC.LuratiF.ZampariniA.MaricondaS. (2018). The role of social capital for organizational identification: Implications for strategic communication. International Journal of Strategic Communication, 12(1), 46–66. https://doi.org/10.1080/1553118X.2017.1392310
10.
CableD. M.DeRueD. S. (2002). The convergent and discriminant validity of subjective fit perceptions. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(5), 875–884. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.87.5.875
11.
CableD. M.TurbanD. B. (2001). Establishing the dimensions, sources and value of job seekers’ employer knowledge during recruitment. Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management, 20, 115–163. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0742-7301(01)20002-4
12.
CableD. M.TurbanD. B. (2003). The value of organizational reputation in the recruitment context: A brand-equity perspective. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 33(11), 2244–2266. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2003.tb01883.x
13.
CaillierJ. G. (2014). Toward a better understanding of the relationship between transformational leadership, public service motivation, mission valence, and employee performance: A preliminary study. Public Personnel Management, 43(2), 218–239. https://doi.org/10.1177/0091026014528478
14.
CarlsonK. D.ConnerleyM. L.MechamR. L. (2002). Recruitment evaluation: The case for assessing the quality of applicants attracted. Personnel Psychology, 55(2), 461–490. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2002.tb00118.x
15.
CartonA.LucasB. J. (2018). How can leaders overcome the Blurry vision bias? Identifying an antidote to the paradox of vision communication. Academy of Management Journal, 61(6), 2106–2129. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2015.0375
16.
CartonA.MurphyC.ClarkJ. (2014). A (Blurry) vision of the future: How leader rhetoric about ultimate goals influences performance. The Academy of Management Journal, 57, 1544. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2012.0101
17.
CollinsC.HanJ. (2004). Exploring applicant pool quantity and quality: The effects of early recruitment practice strategies, corporate advertising, and firm reputation. Articles & Chapters, 57, 685–717. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2004.00004.x
DesmidtS. (2016). The relevance of mission statements: Analysing the antecedents of perceived message quality and its relationship to employee mission engagement. Public Management Review, 18(6), 894–917. https://doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2015.1051573
20.
DesmidtS.PrinzieA. (2018). Establishing a mission-based culture: Analyzing the relation between intra-organizational socialization agents, mission valence, public service motivation, goal clarity and work impact. International Public Management Journal, 22(4), 664–690. https://doi.org/10.1080/10967494.2018.1428253
21.
DesmidtS.PrinzieA.DecramerA. (2011). Looking for the value of mission statements: A meta-analysis of 20 years of research. Management Decision, 49(3–4), 468–483. https://doi.org/10.1108/00251741111120806
DuttonJ. E.DukerichJ. M.HarquailC. V. (1994). Organizational images and member identification. Administrative Science Quarterly, 39, 239–263. https://doi.org/10.2307/2393235
24.
EckerdS.DuHadwayS.BendolyE.CarterC. R.KaufmannL. (2021). On making experimental design choices: Discussions on the use and challenges of demand effects, incentives, deception, samples, and vignettes. Journal of Operations Management, 67(2), 261–275. https://doi.org/10.1002/joom.1128
25.
FarrowK.GrolleauG.MzoughiN. (2018). What in the word! The scope for the effect of word choice on economic behavior. Kyklos, 71(4), 557–580. https://doi.org/10.1111/kykl.12186
26.
FarrowK.GrolleauG.MzoughiN. (2023). Harnessing the power of words to address the COVID-19 Crisis. Administration & Society, 55(2), 294–307. https://doi.org/10.1177/00953997221133498
27.
FatfoutaR. (2021). What do they really want? Effects of the wording of job advertisements on narcissists’ perceptions of organizational attraction. Current Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-01332-9
28.
FatfoutaR. (2023). What do they really want? Effects of the wording of job advertisements on narcissists’ perceptions of organizational attraction. Current Psychology, 42(1), 154–164. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-01332-9
29.
FieldA. (2009). Discopering statistics using SPSS. SAGE Publications.
30.
FitzsimmonsA. B.QinY. S.HeffronE. R. (2022). Purpose vs mission vs vision: Persuasive appeals and components in corporate statements. Journal of Communication Management, 26(2), 207–219. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCOM-09-2021-0108
31.
FowlerL.BirdsallC. (2020). Are the best and brightest joining the public service?Review of Public Personnel Administration, 40(3), 532–554. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734371x19836152
32.
HarmanH. H. (1976). Modern factor analysis. University of Chicago Press.
33.
HayesA. F. (2017). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach. Guilford Press.
34.
HighhouseS.LievensF.SinarE. F. (2003). Measuring attraction to organizations. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 63(6), 986–1001. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164403258403
35.
HighhouseS.ThornburyE. E.LittleI. S. (2007). Social-identity functions of attraction to organizations. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 103(1), 134–146. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2006.01.001
36.
HoffmanB. J.WoehrD. J. (2006). A quantitative review of the relationship between person–organization fit and behavioral outcomes. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 68(3), 389–399. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2005.08.003
37.
IngenhoffD.FuhrerT. (2010). Positioning and differentiation by using brand personality attributes. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 15(1), 83–101. https://doi.org/10.1108/13563281011016859
38.
JacksonD.RiebeL.MacauF. (2022). Determining factors in graduate recruitment and preparing students for success. Education + Training, 64(5), 681–699. https://doi.org/10.1108/ET-11-2020-0348
39.
KeppelerF.PapenfußU. (2021). Employer branding and recruitment: Social media field experiments targeting future public employees. Public Administration Review, 81(4), 763–775. https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.13324
LievensF.HighhouseS. (2003). The relation of instrumental and symbolic attributes to a company’s attractiveness as an employer. Personnel Psychology, 56(1), 75–102. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2003.tb00144.x
42.
LievensF.SlaughterJ. E. (2016). Employer image and employer branding: What we know and what we need to know. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 3, 407–440. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-041015-062501
43.
LinosE. (2018). More than public service: A field experiment on job advertisements and diversity in the police. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 28(1), 67–85. https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/mux032
44.
MacKinnonD. P.CoxeS.BaraldiA. N. (2012). Guidelines for the investigation of mediating variables in business research. Journal of Business and Psychology, 27(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-011-9248-z
45.
MahjoubA.KruyenP. M. (2021). Efficient recruitment with effective job advertisement: An exploratory literature review and research agenda. International Journal of Organization Theory & Behavior, 24(2), 107–125. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOTB-04-2020-0052
PaarlbergL. E.LavignaB. (2010). Transformational leadership and public service motivation: Driving individual and organizational performance. Public Administration Review, 70(5), 710–718. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6210.2010.02199.x
48.
PandeyS. K.WrightB. E.MoynihanD. P. (2008). Public service motivation and interpersonal citizenship behavior in public organizations: Testing a preliminary model. International Public Management Journal, 11(1), 89–108. https://doi.org/10.1080/10967490801887947
49.
PetryT.TreischC.PetersM. (2022). Designing job ads to stimulate the decision to apply: A discrete choice experiment with business students. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 33(15), 3019–3055. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2021.1891112
50.
PodsakoffP. M.MacKenzieS. B.LeeJ. Y.PodsakoffN. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879
51.
PodsakoffP. M.MacKenzieS. B.PodsakoffN. P. (2012). Sources of method bias in social science research and recommendations on how to control it. Annual review of psychology, 63(1), 539–569. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-120710-100452
52.
PollittC. (2016). Be prepared? An outside-in perspective on the future public sector in Europe. Public Policy and Administration, 31(1), 3–28. https://doi.org/10.1177/0952076715590696
53.
PorschitzE. T.SmircichL.CalásM. B. (2016). Drafting “foot soldiers”: The social organization of the war for talent. Management Learning, 47(3), 343–360. https://doi.org/10.1177/1350507615598906
54.
RaineyH. G.SteinbauerP. (1999). Galloping elephants: Developing elements of a theory of effective government organizations. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 9(1), 1–32. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.jpart.a024401
55.
RavasiD.SchulzM. (2006). Responding to organizational identity threats: Exploring the role of organizational culture. Academy of Management Journal, 49(3), 433–459. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2006.21794663
56.
ReshW. G.MarvelJ. D.WenB. (2018). The persistence of prosocial work effort as a function of mission match. Public Administration Review, 78(1), 116–125. https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.12882
57.
RobersonQ. M.CollinsC. J.OregS. (2005). The effects of recruitment message specificity on applicant attraction to organizations. Journal of Business and Psychology, 19(3), 319–339. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-004-2231-1
58.
RungtusanathamM.WallinC.EckerdS. (2011). The vignette in a scenario-based role-playing experiment. Journal of Supply Chain Management, 47(3), 9–16. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-493X.2011.03232.x
SievertM.VogelD.FeeneyM. K. (2022). Formalization and administrative burden as obstacles to employee recruitment: Consequences for the public sector. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 42(1), 3–30. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734371X20932997
61.
SommerL. P.HeidenreichS.HandrichM. (2017). War for talents: How perceived organizational innovativeness affects employer attractiveness. R&D Management, 47(2), 299–310. https://doi.org/10.1111/radm.12230
62.
SteinerP. M.AtzmüllerC.SuD. (2016). Designing valid and reliable vignette experiments for survey research: A case study on the fair gender income gap. Journal of Methods and Measurement in the Social Sciences, 7(2), 52–94. https://doi.org/10.2458/v7i2.20321
63.
TurbanD. B. (2001). Organizational attractiveness as an employer on college campuses: An examination of the applicant population. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 58(2), 293–312. https://doi.org/10.1006/jvbe.2000.1765
64.
van WitteloostuijnA. (2015). Toward experimental international business: Unraveling fundamental causal linkages. Cross Cultural Management, 22(4), 530–544. https://doi.org/10.1108/CCM-06-2015-0075
65.
VandenabeeleW.JagerS. (2020). Government calling revisited: A survey-experiment on the moderating role of public service motivation in assessing employer attractiveness. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, Article 559011. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.559011
66.
VroomV. H. (1964). Work and motivation. Wiley & Sons.
67.
WalkerH. J.FeildH. S.GilesW. F.BernerthJ. B.ShortJ. C. (2011). So what do you think of the organization? A contextual priming explanation for recruitment Web site characteristics as antecedents of job seekers’ organizational image perceptions. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 114(2), 165–178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2010.11.004
WeiY.ChangC.LinL.LiangS. (2016). A fit perspective approach in linking corporate image and intention-to-apply. Journal of Business Research, 69(6), 2220–2225. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2015.12.033
WrightB. E.MoynihanD. P.PandeyS. K. (2012). Pulling the levers: Transformational leadership, public service motivation, and mission valence. Public Administration Review, 72(2), 206–215. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6210.2011.02496.x
72.
WrightB. E.PandeyS. K. (2008). Public service motivation and the assumption of person: Organization fit: Testing the mediating effect of value congruence. Administration & Society, 40(5), 502–521. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095399708320187
73.
WrightB. E.PandeyS. K. (2011). Public organizations and mission valence: When does mission matter?Administration & Society, 43(1), 22–44. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095399710386303
74.
WulffJ. N.SajonsG. B.PogrebnaG.LonatiS.BastardozN.BanksG. C.AntonakisJ. (2023). Common methodological mistakes. The Leadership Quarterly, 34(1), Article 101677. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2023.101677
75.
XieC.BagozziR. P.MelandK. V. (2015). The impact of reputation and identity congruence on employer brand attractiveness. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 33(2), 124–146. https://doi.org/10.1108/MIP-03-2014-0051
76.
YuK. (2014). Person–organization fit effects on organizational attraction: A test of an expectations-based model. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 124(1), 75–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2013.12.005
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
