The shrinking number of new entrants into the U.S. workforce and the smaller proportion of new workers who are well-educated will put organizations dependent on highly qualified personnel in competition for the short supply of qualified individuals. Thus, recruiting strategies will be of increasing concern to many organizations. The research reported here introduces a method for assessing perceptions of potential applicants and was conducted for a state highway department concerned with attracting qualified applicants for civil engineering positions. The sample consisted of 91 undergraduate students in civil engineering or civil engineering technology at 6 universities. The questionnaire was composed of items regarding expectations about employment with the highway department, the importance of various job attributes, and other relevant issues. Ratings on 39 items regarding expectations about employment with the highway department were compared to ratings of importance to the students on the same 39 items. Perceived weaknesses included compensation, advancement, challenge and responsibility, and treatment by management. Strengths included family and other nonwork considerations, benefits, and a variety of career opportunities. This research demonstrated a simple procedure an organization can use for assessing perceptions of potential applicants. Information gained from this type of analysis can be used to determine how to convey information in the recruiting process to optimize attraction without setting unrealistically high expectations. (LLL)