Job Quality and Webpage Aesthetics

Abstract

Companies are becoming increasingly dependent upon online recruitment for jobs because it conserves time and resources, with up to a 90% reduction of the cost of traditional recruitment methods. In light of the use of webpages for job recruitment, the current study attempts to determine whether web page aesthetics effect perceived job quality. Two hundred participants from the Psychology Department Human Subjects Pool will view one of four webpages, each containing a description for a job. Eight different conditions will be used to examine whether the webpage aesthetics will affect the perceived quality of a job. Conditions will include low and high aesthetics paired with low and high job qualities for a sales representative or administrative assistant position. Participants will then answer questions pertaining to the job, the quality of the job, and the aesthetics of the webpage as well as their fit with the job, whether they are actively seeking a job, and their own aesthetic preferences. It is hypothesized that a high aesthetic condition will increase job quality regardless of the initial level of job quality. Data collection will begin in March and will conclude at the end of March. After the data is collected we will examine the data with proper analyses. These results will be presented at the Celebration of Research, Scholarship & Creative Activities event.