The implications of the recent recession and workplace trends that evidence higher rates of separations and hires indicate a need to understand how past work experience influences newcomers' willingness and ability to assimilate into new workplaces and identify with new organizations. Historically, past work experience has been acknowledged as an individual difference variable but generally has not been explored explicitly with regard to organizational assimilation and identification. Notably, Beyer and Hannah (2002) conducted a qualitative study of veteran newcomers and identified three resources that veteran newcomers brought with them into new workplaces: work-related personal identities, professional know-how, and adjustment tactics. However, comparative work examining neophyte and veteran newcomer assimilation processes and identification has not yet been investigated.

An online questionnaire, completed by 294 individuals who had started jobs within the previous three months, measured participants' assimilation, proactive socialization, information seeking, and organizational identification with both their current and previous organizations. Results revealed that 95% of veteran newcomers relied on previously acquired knowledge and almost 40% sought information from a former supervisor or coworker. Past work experience generally did not affect outcome measures as hypothesized; however, post-hoc analyses evidence much greater understanding about the complexity of assimilation and identification, as they are affected by other variables such as education, age, and organizational type.

The results of this study raise important theoretical and methodological questions about organizational assimilation and the role of past work experience. Though initially surprising, the results suggest that newcomers, regardless of past work experience, are assimilated in similar ways and evidence the complexity of the process and the study of assimilation and identification processes.