Navigating Misfit Feedback: The Role of Organizational Prestige in Early-Stage Recruitment

Recognizing the ability of organizational prestige to meet financial, career, social, and status needs, we posit that job seekers will desire employment with prestigious firms in the face of person–organization (PO) misfit feedback. Drawing upon social identity theory, the theory of symbolic attraction, and the motivational model of fit, we suggest that when job seekers disagree with PO misfit feedback, prestige and the imagined benefits of employment motivate job seekers to desire employment. These imagined benefits serve as a needs-meeting mechanism aiding self-esteem, self-worth, and perceived social status. We conducted a between-subjects experiment investigating PO fit feedback, agreement with PO fit feedback, and employer image to explore this phenomenon. Notably, we found that when job seekers disagreed with misfit feedback, they reported greater organizational desirability when the organization was impressive (versus respectable). We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of job seeker reactions to PO fit feedback and organizational prestige as a needs-meeting mechanism.