The Internet has become a popular approach for recruiting job applicants, although there are other sources to find them. Exhibit 9–3 offers some guidance. The source that’s used should reflect the local labor market, the type or level of position, and the size of the organization.

Which recruiting sources tend to produce superior applicants? Most studies have found that employee referrals generally produce the best applicants.10 Why? First, applicants referred by current employees are prescreened by those employees. Because the recommenders know both the job and the person being recommended, they tend to refer well-qualified applicants.11 Second, because current employees often feel that their reputation in the organization is at stake with a referral, they tend to make referrals only when they are reasonably confident that the referral won’t make them look bad. However, managers shouldn’t always opt for the employee-referred applicant; such referrals may not increase the diversity and mix of employees.