Jd. Werbel et J. Landau, THE EFFECTIVENESS OF DIFFERENT RECRUITMENT SOURCES - A MEDIATING VARIABLE ANALYSIS, Journal of applied social psychology, 26(15), 1996, pp. 1337-1350
Previous research suggests that one or more of three mediating variabl
es account for the relationships between recruiting sources and applic
ant effectiveness. This paper offers a critical test of the three medi
ating variables: demographic characteristics, realistic expectations,
and perceived person-job fit. Using a sample of 242 newly hired market
ing representatives, the study found that employees recruited through
college placement offices had better initial levels of performance tha
n did employees recruited through newspaper advertisements. While all
of the proposed mediating variables were associated with some recruitm
ent sources, none of them mediated the effects of recruitment sources
on performance or turnover. This paper suggests that there may be comp
lex contingency relationships between recruitment sources and employee
performance and turnover.