Perhaps ads are ineffective because they fail to reach the most viable candid—successful individuals who are not currently looking for a new job. Further, other recruitment methods, such as employee referrals, may do a better job of enticing the most qualified applicants—a friend can be more persuasive than a written ad.55 Help-wanted advertising reaches a large audience, which can quickly turn into a disadvantage if too many people respond to an ad. As noted earlier in the chapter, the process of screening vast numbers of applications often becomes an administrative nightmare.