A tale of two job markets: Organizational size and its effects on hiring practices and job search behavior

Small firms employ half the U.S. private sector workforce, yet recruitment research has traditionally focused on large firms. The present study attemp ts to advance knowledge on how recruitment practices vary with firm size. R esults suggest that the recruitment practices of larger firms are generally more formal and bureaucratic than those of smaller firms. In addition, the study demonstrates that many job seekers have distinct preferences regardi ng firm size, and that preferred firm size is related to job search behavio r. Taken together, these findings suggest that firm size is an overlooked a nd important aspect of the recruitment/job search context. The processes in volved in matching employers and applicants differ so much as a function of firm size that one might argue that large and small firms comprise separat e labor markets.