Change in Job Search Behaviors and Employment Outcomes

Abstract

This study examined the change in job-search behaviors and employment outcomes of 121 recent university graduates who had not found employment in their final term prior to graduation. Participants completed a questionnaire prior to graduation and again 4 months later. The results of repeated measures analysis of variance indicated that job seekers increased their active job search behavior, formal job-source usage, and search intensity and decreased their job-search anxiety. Although self-esteem and job-search self-efficacy were related to job-search behaviors and outcomes, they did not moderate the change in job seekers' search behavior. As well, change in job-search behavior was related to the number of job interviews and employment status, and the relation between change in job-search behavior and employment status was mediated by the number of job offers received.