A view from the entry level

摘要

Globalization and the expanding digital nature of today's business environment have resulted in skyrocketing demand for qualified IT personnel. Organizations are increasingly turning to recently graduated IS students as a critical source of supply. In light of this, the objective of this paper is to identify the relative importance of job attributes considered by IS students when evaluating a job. Drawing on content motivation as a general theoretical foundation, this paper surveyed 243 IS students at two large southwestern universities to determine what job attributes they find most appealing when assessing potential positions and organizations. Prior research was aggregated to compile a comprehensive list of job attributes. Two methods were used by respondents to evaluate these attributes; rank ordering, and points allocation (weighted measure). The results provide insight into the relative importance that IS students attach to specific job attributes. This information may be used by organizations to provide relevant information to potential employees, resulting in improved alignment between employee preferences and organizational reality, with a subsequent effect on job attitude and turnover.