How interviewees consider content and context cues to person-organization fit

Abstract

The interview is an ideal opportunity for job candidates to assess their fit with potential employers. While research shows that candidates' perceptions of person-organization (PO) fit lead to important outcomes, fewer studies explore how such perceptions are formed. A policy-capturing study modeled how job candidates detect and interpret cues from the interview to inform their determinations of PO fit. A total of 213 participants read a series of vignettes representing interview scenarios, and rated each in terms of his/her perceived PO fit. Evidence showed that participants considered context factors (interview procedure practices and interviewer behaviors) more than the values-relevant content of interview questions when assessing their level of PO fit. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.