Invitation to Participate in Research:

Project Title: Characteristics of Retail Salespersons

Principal Investigator: Richard Goffin, Ph.D., Western University, goffin@uwo.ca

Additional Researcher: Sarah Carver, Western University, scarver3@uwo.ca

You are being invited to participate in a research project about the characteristics of retail sales persons because: (a) you have an Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) account registered in the U.S. or Canada, (b) you are currently employed for at least 35 hours per week, and (c) you have an MTurk approval rating of at least 99% and have completed at least 5000 HITs. The purpose of this research is to learn more about applicants’ characteristics and how those characteristics may predict applicants’ responses to pre-employment assessments that may be used to make hiring decisions. We are focusing on retail sales as the target job because this is one of the most prevalent jobs in the economy.

If you agree to participate you will be asked to complete an online survey on your own in a quiet environment free of distractions. First, you will be asked to complete some demographic questions. Then, most of the remaining questions will assess a variety of characteristics such as beliefs, attitudes, behaviours, perceptions, and problem-solving skills. Throughout much of the survey, you will be asked just to respond honestly, as you normally would respond to survey questions. But, there will also be a section of the survey where you will be asked to respond to questions about beliefs, attitudes, behaviours, and perceptions as though you are applying for a retail sales job. The entire task will take one hour or less. You will be compensated $1.50 U.S. for your participation in this study.