Internship Experience and Organizational Attractiveness: A Realistic Job Fit Perspective

Although job seekers often rely on indirect or inaccurate information to assess the attractiveness of potential employers, internship experience provides more realistic and accurate information, which may influence organizational attractiveness. Through ex-ante ex-post (i.e., pre-internship post-internship) research design with a sample Japanese undergraduate students in university-sponsored program, we found that, although average declined after internship, skill variety feedback from employees were positively related perceived needs-supplies (NS) fit beyond effect its level. The NS fit, turn, was Moreover, some above mediating effects stronger for interns high social and/or self-esteem. Our findings highlight importance internships college students’ school-to-work transition.