A study examined the way in which stockpiling job applications affects a firm's search for a new employee when an opening arises and the extent to which employers make use of applications they have stockpiled. Data on these questions were obtained from a survey of 2,264 employers that was sponsored by the National Institute of Education and the National Center for Research in Vocational Education in 1982. As hypothesized, stockpiling had a positive impact on extensive search as measured by the number of applicants interviewed. However, intensive search as measured by the number of hours spent per applicant significantly declined with stockpiling. Firms using the stockpiling strategy received 33 percent more phone calls and 35 percent more visits, and they accepted 44 percent more applications. When filling a job vacancy, larger firms called prior applicants at a much higher rate (58 percent for firms with more than 250 employees versus 27 percent for firms with fewer than 10 employees). Stockpiling was most common for service jobs and least common for professional and managerial jobs. Thus, likelihood of job vacancy and lack of specialized job requirements were associated with use of the stockpiling strategy. Unionized firms were significantly more likely to interview prior applicants. (MN)