Applicant information and selection strategies in corporate Web site recruiting: The role of national culture

This chapter empirically analyses the influence of the cultural context on the comprehensiveness to which companies in different countries make use of applicant information and selection strategies in corporate web site recruiting. The elements of informing and selection are discussed as critical elements of corporate Web site recruiting in the literature. Based on Hofstede's 4-Dimensions model of culture, seven hypotheses are developed and tested against data from 420 companies in 14 countries. The results indicate that cultural effects are relevant even though a management technique is provided on the World Wide Web. From a practitioner's perspective, the results of this study have implications on at least three different levels. At first, companies have to train both their HR- and IT-personnel with regard to the influences of culture. Secondly, job applicants have to be aware of the different intensities of corporate Web site recruiting across countries. Thirdly, companies developing corporate Web site recruiting software should consider the development of culture-specific applications to allow for a culture-consistent implementation.