The Experience of Emotions During the Job Search and Choice Process Among Novice Job Seekers

Abstract

The authors investigate the role of emotions in the job search and choice process of novice job seekers. Results of qualitative analyses of the first-person accounts of 41 job seekers indicate that participants whose recollections of their job search contained emotional language were more likely to display a haphazard job search strategy than those whose recollections did not. They were also more likely to engage in choice strategies that were not driven by concrete criteria. In comparison, participants whose recollections were not emotion-laden reported more criteria-driven choice strategies, and did not display the tendency to revise or lower their standards or to settle for a less desirable job than they had been seeking. Implications of these findings are discussed in terms of the role of emotions in job search and choice research as well as in terms of job search counseling for novice job seekers.