Waiting for Somebody to Show Up The Effect of Applicant Waiting on Organizational Attraction During Job Interviews

Abstract

We investigate the effects of college student job applicants’ waiting experience during an employment selection procedure (“applicant waiting”) using experimental vignettes. Drawing on the literature on signaling theory, we propose that applicant waiting signals future mistreatment from the organization, resulting in lower organizational attraction. General self-efficacy was examined for its moderating effects. A sample of 171 US undergraduate students with at least one in-person job interview experience (94.4%) participated in the study. Hypotheses were tested by using moderated regression analysis. The results demonstrate that applicant waiting was negatively associated with organizational attraction, and general self-efficacy moderated the relationship. Contrary to our initial expectation, those with higher general self-efficacy reacted more negatively to applicant waiting conditions than those with lower general self-efficacy.