Investigates the importance of follow-up letters to the job application process. Finds that a slight majority of personnel administrators favor follow-up letters. Finds that letters should immediately follow the interview. Notes that letters may not help to get an interview or a job but suggest "good breeding" and make a favorable…

Although the quest for better measurement of individual job performance has generated considerable empirical research in industrial and organizational psychology, the feeling persists that a good job is not really being done in measuring job performance. This research project investigated the effects of differences in both individual and systems…

To clarify the role expectations held for the cooperative special education director in North Dakota, questionnaires were sent to 30 public school superintendents, 22 special education directors, and 30 special education teachers. Results of the questionnaire showed that the rankings of the seven task performance areas identified in the survey…

Personnel administrators (N=23) were interviewed to explore their attitudes and thoughts about mid-life career redirection. Information was gathered on advantages and disadvantages of career change, and specific advice presented in response to typical case studies. (RC)

Sex differences in job orientation found by Manhardt (1972) were explored to determine if they still exist, or if a trend toward similarity as found in studies on traits and behaviors prevails. Implications for personnel managers in handling differences on job orientation of males and females are discussed. (Author/KC)

Compares current and past resume content preferences of Fortune 500 personnel administrators and business communication instructors. Finds that personnel administrators now want less personal information and more evidence of achievement and accomplishments in college and on the job. (MS)

A survey of 341 human resources executives from large U.S. businesses found most executives favorable to employment of persons with disabilities. Almost two-thirds of the corporations have a policy regarding hiring persons with disabilities; over one-half have hired such persons within the past three years; and over one-third have supported work…

Survey responses from 55 secondary vocational educators and 51 training and development professionals showed that the latter thought students needed higher academic skills to enter school-to-work transition programs. Vocational educators stressed occupational/technical and employability skills. (SK)

This document presents findings of a study that investigated the roles and functions of school-personnel administrators in the United States and Canada. Surveys were mailed to four groups--Canadian school district superintendents, county office of education superintendents, superintendents of educational service agencies, and American school…

To determine existing employer perceptions of communication needs, or functions, and of the role of the speech communication major in fulfilling these needs, a 32-item questionnaire was sent to 85 personnel managers in the Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse, New York, areas. Respondents were instructed to suppose that they were to hire a college…

A job analysis survey was done on 39 entry-level professional classes (e.g. personnel officer, social worker, rehabilitation counselor, research analyst, accountant, computer programmer) to discover statistical factors on which the classes could be scored and to cluster the classes on the basis of these factor scores. A job analysis questionnaire…

To learn the order of importance managers place on different areas of knowledge, skills, and attributes possessed by college graduates, a questionnaire was sent to all members of the American Society of Personnel Administrators in Hawaii. People-oriented characteristics were ranked more important than business or quantitative skills. (CT)

Compared what personnel managers in 1981 (N=174) considered important resume components, with what personnel managers in 1974 considered important. The largest differences were that more businesses in 1981 rated listing college courses as important, and more businesses in 1974 thought marital status was important. (RC)

Utilized a questionnaire to examine the personal and professional characteristics of personnel administrators in the Southeastern United States (N=104). Responses indicated that most administrators have doctorates, are older males, and have had more professional experience and positions in student personnel than their national counterparts. (RC)

Evidence from academic research and management experts in the United Kingdom and elsewhere confirms that the recent focus in work organizations on cost reductions through downsizing has changed the roles and structures of many human resources (HR) units. HR units have had to prove their contribution to the organization's bottom line, raise their…