When knowledge matters: job change made easier? unpacking the black box

Klaudia Schmidt

doi:10.21511/ppm.16(2).2018.07

Abstract

Knowing where to find inside information can mean the difference between getting a job from a suitable company or following the wrong direction and wasting precious time, happiness or health in the wrong job and job environment. This article investigates the influence of electronic online word of mouth in the form of job reviews during the process of changing jobs and finding the right job. Job review sites are becoming more and more popular in the process of job search. While the professional world has already started to acknowledge job review sites as useful tools in the process of job search, so far, the academic scene has not paid much attention to this dynamic. The intention of this article is to change this. Based on a literature review, this article shows that job review sites already play a central and valuable role in job change processes by giving inside information through employees who already have experience with employers.

Highlights

An unknown company is a blind spot, a black box, a risk for everybody who starts new with a company
Knowing where to find inside information can mean the difference between getting a job from a suitable company or following the wrong direction and wasting precious time, happiness or health in the wrong job and job environment
Based on a literature review, this article shows that job review sites already play a central and valuable role in job change processes by giving inside information through employees who already have experience with employers

Summary

Introduction

An unknown company is a blind spot, a black box, a risk for everybody who starts new with a company. Knowledge really matters when deciding if a company is suitable for one or not. Part of this process is to find an answer to the question: ‘Does this company culture really fit me?’, before signing a contract with that company. There are many definitions offered by the literature regarding organizational culture. It seems that the most well-known definition is “the way we do things here” (Lundy & Cowling, 1996). Lundy and Cowling define organizational culture as a system of values and beliefs employees are dealing with in an organization. Job reviews can be revealing for job seekers in ascertaining whether a certain employer and its values and beliefs may or may not be suitable

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