Social Capital and Legitimate Recruitment

Abstract

Purpose: When it comes to hire new employees, organisations can resort to different sources, contacts and acquaintances being among the most important ones. This thesis studies the legitimate use that recruiters make of the organisation’s social capital and its consequences. To do this, the author introduces the concepts of institution, legitimacy, social capital and recruitment and uses them as a theoretical base in order to contribute to this topic. Methodology: This study has a qualitative approach through eight interviews carried out in eight different organisations. Also, the author supported his findings with the information obtained on the companies’ websites. Results: The findings show that the legitimacy of the use of social capital in recruitment lies on the candidate’s competences. If the candidate is qualified enough for the job, contacts and relationship do not represent but a benefit for the own candidate and for the company. The perceived consequences are internal and external: internally, illegitimacy worsens the working environment and the organisations’ performance; externally, the organisations’ reputation deteriorates, both regarding its activity and as employer.