The Lingering Effects of the Recruitment Experience on the Long-Term Employment Relationship

Research indicates that how potential new hires feel they are treated during the recruitment process can have a profound impact on their attitudes toward the recruiting organization (Rynes, Heneman, & Schwab, 1980) and that negative, rather than positive, experiences in recruitment are more likely to affect those applicants (Rynes, Bretz, & Gerhart, 1991). Much recruitment research investigates the short-term effect of recruiting practices (Boswell, LePine, & Moynihan, 2003; Porter, Conlon, & Barber, 2005; Sondak & Bazerman, 1991) and how the recruitment experience influences the applicant’s decision to accept a job (Boswell et al., 2003; Rynes, 1991; Rynes et al., 1980; Rynes et al., 1991; Taylor & Collins, 2000). However, none address the influence of those practices on the long-term employment relationship. Given the significance of justice or fairness perceptions on the employment relationship (Colquitt, Conlon, Wesson, Porter, & Ng, 2001; Greenberg & Scott, 1996; Skarlicki & Folger, 1997; Tepper & Taylor, 2003), it seems equally important to study the effects of the earliest interactions an employee has with his employer—those that take place during recruitment. The manner in which employees feel they are treated has a longterm effect on the relationship they have with their organization, resulting in either positive or negative outcomes for both the individual and the organization.