Why Spelling Errors Matter: Online Company Reviews and Organizational Attraction

Abstract

This study examined the effects of quality (spelling errors vs. no spelling errors) and valence (positive vs. negative) of online company reviews on organizational attraction. One hundred and sixty-one participants were told to imagine they were searching for a job and were then randomly assigned to read one of four online company reviews, which were formatted similar to Glassdoor.com reviews. Overall, results indicated that participants who viewed a company review with no spelling errors rated their organizational attraction more aligned with the valence of the review than participants who viewed a company review with spelling errors. In other words, participants who viewed positive reviews with no spelling errors rated general company attractiveness, job pursuit intentions, and company prestige higher than participants who viewed positive reviews with spelling errors. Similar results were found for the negative review, with the exception of company prestige. Specifically, participants who viewed the negative review with no spelling errors rated the company’s attractiveness and their job pursuit intentions lower than participants who viewed the negative review that had spelling errors. Overall, the current findings suggest that an organization will appear more attractive to potential applicants if current or former employees write positive, high-quality reviews about the company.