Open AccessCorporate E‐Cruiting: The Construction of Work in Fortune 500 Recruiting Web Sites
Author(s) -
Young Jun,
Foot Kirsten
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
journal of computer‐mediated communication
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.15
H-Index - 119
ISSN - 1083-6101
DOI - 10.1111/j.1083-6101.2006.tb00303.x
Subject(s) - rhetoric , meaning (existential) , newspaper , rhetorical question , idealization , rhetorical criticism , criticism , sociology , work (physics) , web site , public relations , phenomenon , political science , media studies , the internet , epistemology , law , engineering , world wide web , linguistics , literature , computer science , art , mechanical engineering , philosophy , physics , quantum mechanics
Corporate recruitment efforts have evolved from traditional newspaper want ads to highly sophisticated, rhetorically powerful recruiting Web sites or “career sites.” This e‐cruiting phenomenon offers a unique opportunity not only to examine organizations’ persuasive attempts to recruit potential applicants online, but also to uncover contemporary corporate representations of the meaning(s) of work. Using a random sample of recruitment Web sites of Fortune 500 companies, we employ content analysis and rhetorical criticism to catalogue content types, identify persuasive structure, and analyze rhetorical themes in representations of work. The investigation reveals that career sites are not merely places to post job openings, but reflect corporations’ attempt to sell a glorified image of work, one which positions workers as powerful actors and employers as kind benefactors. In view of current reports on working conditions, we argue these glorified representations reflect a rhetoric of idealization and discuss potential consequences of such a strategy.