THE IMPACT OF REFERRAL SOURCES ON EMPLOYEE ATTITUDES - EVIDENCE FROM A NATIONAL SAMPLE

Seven hundred and two full-time employees, comprising a national sample, were interviewed to determine whether nine recruitment sources had a measurable impact on work-related attitudes. Recruitment source was found to be associated with age, education, and gender. After controlling for age, education, gender, income, and race, recruitment source was not found to significantly predict such altitudinal outcomes as job satisfaction, loyalty, pride in organization, anti-union stance, and propensity to quit. Additionally, the use of multiple recruitment sources was found to be used by roughly one-third of all respondents, although the use of multiple sources played no role (relative to using a single recruitment source) in predicting attitudes. The need for further research on recruitment source effects is discussed in light of findings which suggest that recruitment source may have no significant impact beyond an individual's earliest employment experiences.