The ideal candidate : a quantitative study addressing perceptions related to job recruitment

Abstract

Research indicates that the selection of a candidate over the rest to fill in a position rests with 'the fact that as a candidate we possess the right qualities and have displayed them positively' (Cremin, 2009). During the interview process, potential employees must appeal to the 'boss's desire' (Cremin, 2009, p. 134), meaning that the ideal candidate is able to understand what the boss wants in relation to the job itself. Research indicates that employers seek to find candidates that are on the same wavelength as the rest of the organisation (Gardner, et al., 2008).The aims of this study are to the highlight the perceptions of students regarding influential factors concerning recruitment. In the, literature review, influence on recruitment is correlated with an employee's race, gender, age, disability, verbal and nonverbal cues, minority grouping and appearance/attractiveness. The author focused on all seven areas in a representation of perceptions. The author embarked on a quantitative research, by means of a survey, designed to compare the findings of the literature reviewed to the perception of the population sampled. Results indicate that perceptions reflect the literature reviewed, though with marginal levels of significance. Major limitations in this study were the limited sample size and that the literature reviewed in this study focused more on research that analysed employers' stereotypes, rather than future job seeker's perception.