THE EFFECT OF ETHICAL SIGNALS ON RECRUITMENT ...

controlled culture with ethical values and norms (O’Reilly & Chatman, 1996). As it
applies to the recruitment process, there can be great variability in the frequency and
manner in which ethics is raised (Brown & Trevino, 2006). Therefore, organizations
who value ethics will benefit by signaling this information during the recruitment and
selection process in order to gain a competitive advantage and attract ethical individuals.
Conclusion
Organizations should be aware that applicants are attempting to gather and
interpret a large amount of information in a short amount of time during the recruitment
process, and every piece of information communicated is important. Ethics, or the
“character” of the organization is an especially important indicator of how life will be in
the organization. Applicants on the job market want to find an organization that
emulates what is “good” or “right;” this will result in pride from membership and social
approval for the individual.
Formal regulations such as Sarbanes-Oxley and Generally Accepted Accounting
Principles (GAAP) and public outcry over the unethical behaviors of organizations are
prompting today’s job seeker to consider the ethics of organizations now more than ever.
Unethical behavior that is unveiled can not only cost the company money, but it can cost
the company’s life; and when the company collapses, the employees generally fall with
it. As this study suggests, organizations that engage in unethical organizational or
recruitment practices may also be losing applicants. Ethical applicants are looking for
ethical companies, and it starts very early in the recruitment process. Following the
moral approbation approach, applicants will seek organizations that align with their
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