Mobility and Cash Compensation: The Moderating Effects of Gender, Race, and Executive Search Firms

This study addresses a phenomenon observed in past research on career success and attainment in which White male managers and executives seemingly gain more from external labor market mobility than do their female and minority male counterparts. Focusing on the executive search industry, the authors found that executive search firm representatives are more likely to contact White males than females and minority males, that the compensation advantage resulting from an external labor market strategy is strongest among White male managers and executives, and that search firm—initiated contacts moderate the relationship between compensation and mobility in an external labor market. Implications for management research, theory, and practice are discussed.