Internet recruiting - The effects of web page design features

In this study, the authors investigate the effects of two web site design features on prospective applicants' evaluations of a hiring company's online recruitment image. A total of 175 students navigated one of four web sites to locate and review a job advertisement. Participants visited a web site that was easy or difficult to surf and viewed a job ad that was presented in bullets or paragraphs of text. Afterward, they completed a survey that measured their impressions of the recruitment image, reactions to the hiring organization, and their willingness to apply for a position. The results provide partial support for the anticipated favorable effect of navigational ease on participants' impressions of recruitment image. Contrary to the authors' prediction, however, organizing the text in bulleted rather than paragraph format did not significantly improve evaluations of the company's recruitment image.