Effect of information quality of employment website on attitude toward the website : A moderated mediation study

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop and validate an empirical model examining the job seekers’ perception about information quality of corporate employment websites and its impact on their attitude toward the websites through perceived playfulness and usefulness. Furthermore, the study also examines the job seekers’ e-trust as condition under which these mechanisms generate website attitude. Design/methodology/approach A sample of 385 active job seekers was selected through systematic random sampling. A web-based questionnaire was used to elicit responses for the study. Structural equation modeling was used to validate the proposed model. Findings Results indicate that the information quality dimensions positively influence perceived playfulness and perceived usefulness, which in turn evoke the website attitude. Furthermore, e-trust was found to moderate the above said relationships. Originality/value The study contribution lies in an empirical validation of a model showing the mechanisms and the condition through which the relationship exists between perceived information quality of e-recruitment websites and job seekers’ website attitude, and thus responds to the call for additional research that generalizes the influence of information characteristics of websites on job seekers’ behavioral outcomes.