Master’s thesis concerning the question of whether organizational culture is relevant in recruiting and how it affects both employers and individuals.
I have for many years been a member of a voluntary non-profit student organization which suffered from a constant lack of members and observed that some people were very enthusiastic about work in certain organizations while other people were completely indifferent about the same topics – different organizations seemed to appeal to different people. The interest to find out more about this was the motivation for this thesis.
Abstract
“The aim of this thesis was to find out how cultural fit influences recruiting from both the organizational as well as the individual perspective.
Qualitative research of nine different organizations and a quantitative survey of potential applicants were conducted. The most important questions concerned the relevance of fit in decisions of both sides and how communication about these issues worked.
On the employer side, cultural fit was an important selection criterion for most examined organizations, however they were unsure how to communicate their values and how to select fitting individuals. The organizations used online recruiting intensively, however, also indicated that transmitting information about their culture was difficult when done in written form and much easier in person through referrals or campus recruiting.
On the side of individuals, fit was also an important aspect when choosing an employer. Survey participants stated that the most important sources of information about employers are personal contacts and the organizations’ websites.
In conclusion the findings indicate that providing richer information for individuals through personnel marketing leads to better self-selection from their side and better fitting applications.”