The Effect of Person–Job Fit on the Retention of Top College Graduates in Federal Agencies

• Author: Glenn L. Starks
• Published date: 01 March 2007
• DOI: 10.1177/0734371X06291156
• Date: 01 March 2007
• Subject Matter: Articles

59

Review of Public Personnel

Administration

Volume 27 Number 1

March 2007 59-70

© 2007 Sage Publications

10.1177/0734371X06291156

http://roppa.sagepub.com

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http://online.sagepub.com

The Effect of Person–Job Fit on

the Retention of Top College

Graduates in Federal Agencies

Glenn L. Starks

Virginia Commonwealth University

The Outstanding Scholar Program (OSP) allows federal agencies to employ stream-

lined hiring processes and to offer higher starting salaries to college graduates with a

grade point average of at least 3.5 or who graduate in the top 10% of their university or

department. OSP data were analyzed from a data set of 47,976 OSP employees hired

from 1991 through 2000. Based on job fit theory and generational theory, independent

variables theorized to improve employee recruitment and retention rates were tested

using chi-square tests and a logistic regression model. Independent variables found to

improve these rates include occupations congruent to educational backgrounds, hiring

agencies with higher proportions of white-collar professional occupations, and occu-

pations with higher initial grade levels. Because OSP employees are age and knowl-

edge cohorts within Generation X, agencies should also offer occupations with

meaningful job content, job independence, good benefits, feedback, and opportunities

for employees to learn new things.

Keywords: recruitment; retention; college graduates; job fit; Generation X

The ability to attract and retain top college graduates is a concern for federal agen-

cies (Cleary, 1993; Hyde, 2002; Voinovich, 2001). In addition to competition

from the private sector, downsizing initiatives, and an imminent mass exodus of retir-

ing employees, agencies are facing obstacles, inherent of the civil service system, in

hiring top graduates. These obstacles include salary caps, slow hiring processes, and

regulations governing the hiring process that deter some applicants from applying

for federal positions and greatly frustrate others when they do apply (National

Commission on the Public Service, 2003). In efforts to attract the “best and brightest”

applicants, federal agencies are using the Outstanding Scholar Program (OSP).

The OSP allows agencies to employ streamlined hiring processes and to offer

higher salaries to college students who graduated with a grade point average of at

least 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale) or who are in the top 10% of their university or department.

Employees are hired at the GS-5 or GS-7 level and are put on faster promotion tracks,

normally being promoted by two levels by the end of their training period (e.g., pro-

moted from GS-7 to GS-9 to GS-11). Agencies using this program assume that gradu-

ates who are offered higher starting salaries, expanded training, and faster promotion

tracks will be more attracted to federal jobs and more likely to make a lasting career.