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Volume 37, Issue 3
  • ISSN: 0921-5077
  • E-ISSN: 1875-7235

Abstract

Abstract

The current global labor market tightness is creating more jobs than ever before, resulting in both opportunities and uncertainties. Job seekers, especially recent graduates, often experience significant uncertainty due to limited knowledge about available jobs. Given that the risks of a low-quality job are similar to unemployment and can hinder future career success, finding a suitable job is crucial. In the past, research has generally focused on the quantity of job search behavior. Recent scholarly interest is, however, shifting to the quality of the job search process. The current article presents the results of a doctoral dissertation that conceptualizes job search quality as a four-dimensional model consisting of goal formulation, planning, goal pursuit, and reflection. Throughout four empirical studies, evidence was presented that work search quality (a) adds value above and beyond job search intensity and metacognitive activities, (b) is positively related to various outcomes including job quality, (c) is predicted by personality, attitudes, and context, and (d) can possibly be improved by an online (positive) reflection intervention. These findings highlight the importance of searching smarter for a job instead of harder, and offer valuable insights for both job seekers and policymakers.

© Jolien Stremersch & Greet Van Hoye
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2024-09-01
2025-03-07
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/content/journals/10.5117/GO2024.3.001.STRE
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Zoek slimmer naar werk in plaats van harder: De rol van werkzoekkwaliteit
G&O 37, 241 (2024); https://doi.org/10.5117/GO2024.3.001.STRE
/content/journals/10.5117/GO2024.3.001.STRE
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Keyword(s): career development; job search; job search quality; school-to-work transition; unemployment

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