VNJ Volume 40 (2) April 2025 | Page 55

Briefcas EMPLOYMENT
The survey was created online using JISC Online Surveys . Three versions of the questionnaire were devised , each containing one of three advertisement types ( small-general job advertisement , large-general job advertisement or large-specific job advertisement ), followed by a series of questions relating to the advertisement ' s message content , the credibility of the information , satisfaction with the information , attraction to the organisation , willingness to apply and a manipulation check ( described below ).
The job description in each type of advertisement was created using demographic data obtained from The 2019 Survey of the Veterinary Nursing Profession [ 2 ] , such as the respondents ' average employment status , their position within practice and their work location . Demographic data were obtained to create a job description reflective of the employee market at the time of the survey , in an attempt to appeal to as many RVNs as possible . The wording and presentation of the job advertisements were influenced by advertisements posted on Vet Times Jobs and techniques proposed by Acarlar and Bilgiç [ 5 ] for investigating the mediational role of credibility , satisfaction and attraction on applicants ' willingness to apply for an advertised job opening .
The core job description remained the same , but the individual job advertisements varied significantly in terms of the length and specificity of the information provided . The small-general job advertisement contained a general job description and necessary qualifications . The large-general job advertisement contained general information regarding the workplace culture , perks and benefits , salary and career development , in addition to the job description and necessary qualifications . The large-specific job advertisement contained specific information regarding the workplace culture , perks and benefits , salary and career development , in addition to the job description and necessary qualifications . Examples of the different types of advertisement can be seen in Figures 1 – 3 ( see link on page 58 ).
Participants were instructed to complete only one version of the questionnaire . A maximum number of responses was set on JISC Online Surveys to ensure equal numbers were obtained for each version of the survey . The survey was open for approximately 4 weeks in January 2023 until the maximum number of responses was met .
Ethical approval was granted by the Royal Veterinary College ( RVC ) Social Science Research Ethical Review Board ( SR2022-160 ).
Credibility of the information
Credibility was evaluated using four items rated on a five-point Likert scale ( 1 = strongly disagree ; 2 = disagree ; 3 = neither agree nor disagree ; 4 = agree ; 5 = strongly agree ).
Satisfaction with the information
Satisfaction was evaluated using three items rated on the five-point Likert scale defined earlier .
Attraction to the organisation
Attraction was evaluated using three items rated on the five-point Likert scale defined earlier .
Table 1 ( see link on page 58 ) shows the items and scales used to measure the credibility of the information , satisfaction with the information and attraction to the organisation .
Willingness to apply
Willingness to apply was evaluated using two items on a two-point dichotomous scale .
Manipulation check
Seven items on a two-point dichotomous scale were used to conduct a manipulation check , which consisted of a series of questions relating to the job advertisements ' content , to investigate whether participants were able to perceive , comprehend and provide appropriate answers in relation to the job advertisement they had read , thus supporting the internal validity of the results .
Table 2 ( see link on page 58 ) shows the items used to measure participants ' willingness to apply , and for the manipulation check .
Statistical analysis
Responses were analysed using Microsoft Excel and IBM SPSS version 28 .
A p value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant . The items used to measure the credibility of the information , satisfaction with the information , attraction to the organisation and willingness to apply were treated as discrete numerical data , as proposed by Acarlar and Bilgiç [ 5 ] .
Any negative items were reverse coded before the mean value for each scale was computed for participants .
The results were summarised using descriptive statistics , and Kruskal – Wallis and chi-squared tests were used to test the relationship between the study variables .
Table 3 ( see link on page 58 ) shows the statistical analysis plan for the variables and collected data .
Volume 40 ( 2 ) • April 2025
55