In recent years, social scientists have developed an increased interest in the processes by which individuals are matched to jobs. This involves both an examination of the characteristics of job seekers who are rewarded in labor markets and an analysis of how employers evaluate worker characteristics when making hiring and promotion decisions. Of special importance to this emerging research has been the role of educational credentials. However, there has been little effort to investigate specific job matches directly. One study conceptualized job matches as employment transactions. To examine these transactions, an interview instrument was designed and used to interview the most recent appointees in 12 occupational categories in 6 organizations, as well as the individuals who hired them. Questions focused on the role of educational credentials in job assignment, and elicited information on the role of educational choice, the effect of schooling on job performance, the issue of overeducation, and the importance of educational background. This research can lead to important knowledge of the determinants of inequality in the labor force. (Author/KC)