The Importance of Recruitment in Job Choice: A Different Way of Looking

Abstract

Recent literature reviews have called into question the impact of recruitment activities on applicants’job choices. However, most previous findings have been based on cross‐sectional ratings obtained immediately after initial screening interviews, thus raising questions about the degree to which prior conclusions are bound to that particular methodology. In contrast, the present study used longitudinal structured interviews to let job seekers explain, in their own words, how they made critical job search and choice decisions. Interview transcripts revealed that recruitment practices played a variety of roles in job seeker decisions. For example, consistent with signaling theory, subjects interpreted a wide variety of recruitment experiences (recruiter competence, sex composition of interview panels, recruitment delays) as symbolic of broader organizational characteristics. In addition, a number of “contingency” variables emerged that seemed to affect the perceived signaling value of recruitment experiences (e.g., prior knowledge of the company, functional area of the recruiter). Also notable were the strongly negative effects of recruitment delays, particularly among male students with higher grade point averages and greater job search success. Finally, our results suggest that certain applicant reactions may be systematically related to sex, work experience, grade point average, and search success. The article concludes with practical and research implications.

The Effects Of Recruitment Message Specificity On Applicant Attraction To Organizations

“…Accordingly, empirical evidence highlights P-O fit perceptions as important predictors of job choice intentions (Cable & Judge, 1994). Rynes, Bretz and Gerhart (1991) found that while job and organizational characteristics are responsible for early perceptions of organization fit, changes in fit assessments are due to more detailed job and/or organizational information. Similar to the arguments supporting realistic job previews (RJP), which are an organization's presentation of both favorable and unfavorable job-related information to job candidates (Rynes, 1991), more specific information may allow applicants to make more informed choices about whether or not to accept offers of employment (Wanous, 1973).…”

Employee Reviews on Company Independent Sites and its Impact on Organizational Attractiveness: Role of Information Realism, Person – Environment Fit and Source Credibility Framework

“…The recruitment has majorly focused on source credibility, the role and importance of media credibility has largely been ignored. It is evident from the literature that job incumbents as recruitment sources are perceived to be most credible as they are the ones closely associated with work and have information about job and organizational attributes (Rynes et al 1991). Corporate recruiters are perceived to be less credible as they have an explicit intention of presenting an overly positive image of the organization before the potential applicants.…”

“…The realistic information hypothesis proposes that persons recruited via different sources are likely to have more accurate in formation about what the job entails (Rynes et al 1991). Possessing such information enables a candidate to decide whether to proceed with the job and make an informed decision.…”

Bringing Along the Family: Nepotism in the Workplace

“…I have argued that nepotism is inherently unfair due to the fact that it allows certain individuals a competitive advantage as a function of social connections rather than competence. While it has been shown that applicants who receive special treatment are likely to view the organization more favorably (Rynes et al, 1991), I argued and tested the perceptions of those who did not receive this special treatment. Indeed, applicants who are thinking of applying to a nepotistic organization could ask several important questions.…”