Sample Of Job Seekers Research Articles

A Scarcity Mindset Reduces Salary Goals through Lowering Employment Self-Efficacy

Beyond the substantial economic consequences of scarcity, a scarcity mindset – the mere belief that resources are scarce – has been found to negatively impact cognitive functioning and decision making. In this paper, we build on these insights by theorizing a novel motivational pathway through which scarcity impacts organizational life, specifically job seekers. Drawing from research on the psychology of scarcity, along with theories of self-efficacy and goal setting, we hypothesize that a scarcity mindset reduces employment self-efficacy, which in turn leads job seekers to set lower salary goals. We find support for our theoretical model across four studies, using diverse operationalizations of a scarcity mindset. Study 1 manipulated a scarcity mindset in a context outside of job search (i.e., general resource scarcity) and found an effect on salary goals. Study 2 manipulated a scarcity mindset within a job-relevant context (i.e., job availability) and showed that participants in the scarcity mindset condition made significantly lower (around $3,500 on average) salary counteroffers in a fictitious job negotiation. Study 3 provided further replication and found that employment self-efficacy mediated this effect. Finally, Study 4 revealed that in a sample of job seekers in the US, a scarcity mindset (arising from the experience of scarcity in childhood) was negatively related to salary goals, again mediated by employment self-efficacy. Overall, we find substantial evidence for a psychological effect of scarcity on job seekers and encourage future research to further investigate the organizational effects of scarcity and develop “wise interventions” to counteract this deleterious mindset.

Measuring Reservation Wages: Comparing Methods to Estimate Valuations of Job Attributes

Understanding jobseeker preferences---including their reservation wages and how much they value different non-wage amenities---is difficult because they are unobservable. We test four different methods for estimating these preference parameters using an experiment in a job-matching center. We find large and important differences between methods. We also estimate jobseekers' valuations of several job attributes, and explore how those valuations differ by characteristics like gender, education and length of unemployment. Among other findings, we show that in our sample of jobseekers in Egypt, women are more sensitive to long commutes, and value flexible schedules and on-site daycare more than men.

Assessing Intentional Resume Deception: Development and Nomological Network of a Resume Fraud Measure

Resume fraud is pervasive and has detrimental consequences, but researchers lack a way to study it. We develop and validate a measure for empirically investigating resume misrepresentations purposely designed to mislead recruiters. In study 1, an initial set of items designed to measure three theorized resume fraud dimensions (fabrication, embellishment, omission) are rated for content validity. In study 2, job seekers complete the measure and its factor structure is evaluated. In study 3, another sample of job seekers is surveyed to verify the measure’s factor structure and to provide evidence regarding construct validity. In study 4, working adults who recently conducted a job search are surveyed to determine which individuals are more likely to commit resume fraud and whether resume fraud relates to critical work behaviors. We confirm the three-factor structure of our measure and offer evidence of construct validity by showing that socially desirable responding, Machiavellianism, moral identity, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and agreeableness are related to resume fraud. Additionally, we find that resume fraud predicts reduced job performance and increased workplace deviance beyond deceptive interviewing behavior. Resume fraud is rarely studied despite the negative impact it can have on job-related outcomes. Researchers can use this measure to explore further the antecedents and outcomes of resume fraud and to advise recruiters on how to minimize it. We develop a measure focusing on intentional resume misrepresentations designed to deceive recruiters. This is one of the first studies to examine the antecedents and outcomes of resume fraud.

Access to the latent benefits of employment for unemployed and underemployed individuals.

A sample of job seekers (N=161) were assessed on measures of well-being and the latent benefits of employment. The unemployed reported less access to the latent benefits than the underemployed. In a finer grained analysis, there was a monotonic increase from least to most access to the latent benefits from those with no paid work in the past three months, some paid work in the past three months, some current paid work, to those with considerable current paid work. Despite this, no differences in well-being were found.

Access to the Latent Benefits of Employment for Unemployed and Underemployed Individuals

A sample of job seekers ( N = 161) were assessed on measures of well-being and the latent benefits of employment. The unemployed reported less access to the latent benefits than the underemployed. In a finer grained analysis, there was a monotonic increase from least to most access to the latent benefits from those with no paid work in the past three months, some paid work in the past three months, some current paid work, to those with considerable current paid work. Despite this, no differences in well-being were found.