An integrative model of recruitment source processes and effects

Recruitment sources, the means through which job seekers learn about organizations and job openings, are related to many organizational and job seeker outcomes. However, although many mechanisms have been proposed to explain recruitment source effects, each mechanism appears to address only one part of a larger process. Our theoretical understanding of this phenomenon is limited by the lack of a comprehensive model integrating these perspectives, and such an integration is possible by differentiating among the ways that job seekers use recruitment sources. In this article, I outline three distinct functions of recruitment source use. I then propose a model that integrates these functions with the proposed mechanisms and show how the model can be used as a springboard for increasing our theoretical understanding of the phenomenon and advancing future empirical research on the topic.