contingencies does not prove the superiority of a contingency approach to recruit-
ment. Only psychometric meta-analysis can investigate the former caveat about
study artifacts, but a future meta-analysis in recruitment requires a research
program whose theoretical foundation is less piecemeal than recruitment research
so far. The second caveat requires a more in-depth examination of the causal
mechanisms linking recruitment, its prehire outcomes, and posthire consequences.
Broad strategic HR frameworks that have integrated a variety of theories (e.g.
Lepak and Snell 1999 ; Wright and Snell 1998 ) may be valuable starting points for
the development of theoretically persuasive research programs in recruitment. The
Wrst step in that direction would be the development of a parsimonious model of
recruitment strategy whose eVectiveness criteria are theoretically connected to
these broader strategic HR frameworks. Without a comprehensive yet parsimoni-
ous typology and theory of recruitment strategy, academics and practitioners will
not have any criteria by which to judge the eVectiveness of new activities such as
Internet recruiting.
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