Hiring Expert Talent in a Recession: Targeted Labor Pool Sourcing and Firm Performance

Extant research suggests that hiring experts during economic downturns can improve firm financial performance. However, recessionary labor markets deepen the challenges facing hiring firms, calling to question both the firm-level benefits and the tactics of acquiring talent when demand for a firm's business is declining. We theorize and find that hiring expert talent during a recession actually weakens firm performance in the context of...