Tapping the grapevine: a closer look at word-of-mouth as a recruitment source.

Full Abstract

To advance knowledge of word-of-mouth as a company-independent recruitment source, this study draws on conceptualizations of word-of-mouth in the marketing literature. The sample consisted of 612 potential applicants targeted by the Belgian Defense. Consistent with the recipient-source framework, time spent receiving positive word-of-mouth was determined by the traits of the recipient (extraversion and conscientiousness), the characteristics of the source (perceived expertise), and their mutual relationship (tie strength). Only conscientiousness and source expertise were determinants of receiving negative word-of-mouth. In line with the accessibility-diagnosticity model, receiving positive employment information through word-of-mouth early in the recruitment process was positively associated with perceptual (organizational attractiveness) and behavioral outcomes (actual application decisions), beyond potential applicants' exposure to other recruitment sources. (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved.

Author information

Author/s: Van Hoye, Greet (G); Lievens, Filip (F);

Affiliation: Department of Personnel Management, Work and Organizational Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. greet.vanhoye(-atsign-)ugent.be

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: The Journal of applied psychology (J Appl Psychol), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2009-Mar; vol 94 (issue 2) : pp 341-52

Dates: Created 2009/03/10; Completed 2009/05/11;

PMID: 19271794, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 5/11/2009, IMS Date: 11 May 2009 00:00:00)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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