scholarly journals Alternative Job Search Strategies in Remote Rural and Peri-urban Labour Markets: The Role of Social Networks

2005 ◽  
Vol 45 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 53-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin Lindsay ◽  
Malcolm Greig ◽  
Ronald W. McQuaid
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Job Search ◽  
Search Strategies ◽  
Labour Markets

Freelance job search during times of uncertainty: protean career orientation, career competencies and job search

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mostafa Ayoobzadeh
Keyword(s):  
Job Search ◽  
Organizational Support ◽  
Search Strategies ◽  
Career Orientation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Transferable Skills ◽  
Protean Career ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Career Competencies

PurposeFreelancers are a growing population of working adults with limited to no organizational support. Yet, their strategies to navigate job search, especially in turbulent times, are unknown. To address this gap, the author hypothesized and examined a sequential mediation model whereby freelancer protean career orientation (PCO) influences job search strategies through career competencies (i.e. knowing why, how and with whom to work) and job search self-efficacy (JSSE).Design/methodology/approachData were collected from a sample of 87 Canadian freelancers during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.FindingsThe results supported the sequential mediation from PCO to job search strategies through two of the career competencies (knowing why and how) and JSSE. The mediating role of knowing whom was not supported.Practical implicationsPolicy makers and learning institutions can provide freelancers with opportunities to develop transferable skills through massive open online courses (MOOCs). Employers of freelancers can design motivating jobs that provide freelancers with on-the-job learning and development opportunities.Social implicationsThe insignificant mediating role of knowing whom (i.e. professional networks) implies that large networks might not be necessarily beneficial in times of crisis. Thus, the role of networks might be more complex than the literature has proposed.Originality/valueThis study brings into focus an overlooked population of workers: freelancers. It investigates a sequential mediation through which freelancer PCO impacts job search strategies. In addition, it compares the effectiveness of career competencies in unfolding the proposed sequential mediation.

The toll of perceived injustice on job search self-efficacy and behavior

2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 279-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Taggar ◽  
Lisa K. J. Kuron
Keyword(s):  
Job Search ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Search Strategy ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Search Behavior ◽  
Search Strategies ◽  
Perceived Injustice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Job Search Behavior

Purpose – Individuals normally make fairness judgements when experiencing negative outcomes on an important task, such as finding employment. Fairness is an affect-laden subjective experience. Perceptions of injustice can cause resource depletion in unemployed job seekers, potentially leading to reduced self-regulation. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of: first, justice perceptions during a job search and their impact on job search self-efficacy (JSSE); second, the mediating role of JSSE between justice perceptions and job search strategies; and third, associations between job search strategies and quantity and quality of job search behavior. Design/methodology/approach – Unemployed individuals (n=254) who were actively searching for a job reported on their past job search experiences with respect to justice, completed measures of JSSE, and reported recent job search behavior. Findings – Results reveal the potentially harmful impact of perceived injustice on job search strategies and the mediating role of JSSE, a self-regulatory construct and an important resource when looking for a job. Specifically, perceived injustice is negatively associated with JSSE. Reduced JSSE is associated with a haphazard job search strategy and less likelihood of exploratory and focussed strategies. A haphazard job search strategy is associated with making fewer job applications and poor decision making. Conversely, perceived justice is associated with higher JSSE and exploratory and focussed job search strategies. These two strategies are generally associated with higher quality job search behavior. Research limitations/implications – There are two major limitations. First, while grounded in social-cognitive theory of self-regulation and conservation of resources (COR) theory, a cross-sectional research design limits determination of causality in the model of JSSE as a central social-cognitive mechanism explaining how justice impacts job search strategies. Second, some results may be conservative because social desirability may have restricted the range of negative responses. Practical implications – This study provides insights to individuals who are supporting job seekers (e.g. career counselors, coaches, employers, and social networks). Specifically, interventions aimed at reducing perceptions of injustice, increasing JSSE, and improving job search strategies and behavior may ameliorate the damaging impact of perceived injustice. Originality/value – This study is the first to examine perceived justice in the job search process using social-cognitive theory of self-regulation and COR theory. Moreover, we provide further validation to a relatively new and under-researched job search strategy typology by linking the strategies to the quantity and quality of job search behaviors.

scholarly journals Focused for Some, Exploratory for Others: Job Search Strategies and Successful University-to-Work Transitions in the Context of Labor Market Ambiguity

2021 ◽  
pp. 089484532110160
Author(s):  
Belgin Okay-Somerville ◽  
Dora Scholarios
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
Job Search ◽  
Search Strategies ◽  
School To Work ◽  
Job Match ◽  
Work Transitions ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
One Year ◽  
The Relationship

This article examines the role of student job search strategies that differ in goal-directedness (focused, exploratory, and haphazard) in achieving successful university-to-work transitions (i.e., employment in jobs with high skill use/development and qualification–job match). The relationship between job search and employment outcomes is considered in two labor market contexts—high or low ambiguity—which are represented by the comparison between arts, humanities, and social sciences (AHSS) and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) graduates, respectively. Using two-wave survey data, we find that job search strategies during university do not explain, yet differentially impact, successful outcomes one year after graduation. Fully exploring opportunities was particularly beneficial for STEM graduates (low ambiguity context) and more focused job search was beneficial for AHSS graduates (high ambiguity context). Paradoxically, findings both question and reinforce the efficacy of career agency for overcoming barriers to labor market entry, depending on the job search context. The study contributes to the agency and context debates relevant for school-to-work transitions.

scholarly journals Social Networks and Sociology Graduates’ Employment

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nguyen Thi Thu Thanh
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Job Search ◽  
Arab Countries ◽  
Social Sciences And Humanities ◽  
Zukunft Der Arbeit ◽  
National University

Social networks influence various aspects of both material life and spiritual life. The social relationships are clearly demonstrated in the labour market. Many domestic and international researches show that social network is an effective unofficial channel for job search. The study of the 2015 and 2016 Sociology graduates from Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) University of Social Sciences and Humanities provides a profound understanding of the role of social networks in the graduates’ job search and their professional development.  Keywords Social network, social capital, job, graduates References 1. Lê Ngọc Hùng (2003), “Lý thuyết và phương pháp tiếp cận mạng lưới xã hội: Trường hợp tìm kiếm việc làm của sinh viên”, Tạp chí Xã hội học (số 2).2. Lê Ngọc Hùng (2012),“Vốn xã hội, vốn con người và MLXH thông qua một số nghiên cứu ở Việt Nam”, Tạp chí Nghiên cứu Con người (Số 4), tr. 45- 54.3. Đặng Nguyên Anh (2014),“Suy thoái kinh tế và những thách thức đối với giải quyết việc làm thanh niên hiện nay”, Nhà xuất bản Khoa học Xã hội, tr.13.4. Mark Granovetter (1995), “Getting a job” (Phạm Huy Cường lược thuật), Nhà xuất bản Đại học Chicago.5. Axel Franzen và Dominik Hangartner (2014), “Các MLXH và kết quả thị trường lao động: Những lợi ích phi tiền tệ của vốn xã hội” (Phạm Huy Cường lược thuật).6. Bộ Giáo dục và Đào tạo (2012),“Báo cáo việc làm sinh viên 2012”, tr.80.7. Bonnie H. Erickson (2013), “Mạng lưới phong phú và thuận lợi trong công việc: Giá trị của vốn xã hội với người sử dụng lao động và người lao động” (Phạm Huy Cường lược thuật).8. Phạm Huy Cường (2016), “Vốn xã hội với tìm kiếm việc làm của sinh viên sau khi tốt nghiệp (Nghiên cứu trường hợp cựu sinh viên Trường ĐHKHXH&NV, Đại học Quốc gia Hà Nội)”, tr.49.9. Đại học Khoa học Xã hội và Nhân văn (2013), “Báo cáo kết quả điều tra thông tin cựu sinh viên K52, K53”.10. Franze and Hangartner (2006), “Social Networks and Labour Market Outcome: The Non - Monetary Benefit of Social Capital”, European Sociological Review, 22 (4), pp. 353 – 368.11. Karon Gush, Jame Scott, Heather Laurie (2008), “Job loss and Social Capital: The role of family, friends and wider support networks”, University of Essex.12. Marco Caliendo, Ricarda Schmidl, Arne Uhlendorff (2010), “Social Network, Job Search Method and Reservation Wages: Evidence for Germany”, Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit Institute for the Study of Labor.13. Moundir Lassassi và Ibrahim Alhawari (2010) “Job search intensity and the role of social network in finding a job in Arab countries: a case study of Algeria and Jordan”, Center for Research in Applied Economics for Development (CREAD).

The role of extracurricular activities in shaping university students' employment self-efficacy perceptions

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Kanar ◽  
Dave Bouckenooghe
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Extracurricular Activities ◽  
Job Search ◽  
Information Search ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Search Strategy ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Search Strategies ◽  
Content Type

PurposeThe present study aimed to understand how participation in university extracurricular activities has a beneficial or detrimental impact on students’ employment self-efficacy through the intervening mechanism of information search strategy.Design/methodology/approachThe authors collected data from active job-searching university students across two time-points and hypothesized that the breadth of extracurricular activity participation would positively impact employment self-efficacy perceptions and information search strategies (focused, exploratory and haphazard) would mediate this relationship.FindingsResults indicate that the breadth of students' participation in extracurricular activities was positively associated with employment self-efficacy perceptions, and this relationship was mediated by focused and exploratory information-search strategies. Extracurricular activities exhibited a negative relationship with a haphazard search strategy.Research limitations/implicationsThis research extends the understanding of the role of participation in extracurricular activities for influencing a job search. Future research may replicate these findings with different samples of job seekers.Practical implicationsExtracurricular activities are typically offered at universities as a way for students to develop skills and to improve employers' perceptions of students. The present results suggest that participating in extracurricular activities may also help university students to effectively conduct a self-directed job search.Originality/valueWe examined the role of extracurricular activities from the applicant's perspective, extending prior research examining extracurricular activities from the employer's perspective. The present results suggest that extracurricular activities play an important role in shaping the job search process of university students by influencing students' confidence for finding employment. Information search strategies mediated the effects of extracurricular activities on employment self-efficacy perceptions, suggesting that participating in extracurricular activities changed the way that applicants searched for jobs.

It’s Who You Know: The Role of Social Networks in a Changing Labor Market

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 1485-1524
Author(s):  
Huriya Jabbar ◽  
Marisa Cannata ◽  
Emily Germain ◽  
Andrene Castro
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Labor Market ◽  
Charter Schools ◽  
Labor Markets ◽  
Job Search ◽  
San Antonio ◽  
The United States ◽  
Alternative Teacher Certification ◽  
Teacher Labor Markets

Teacher labor markets are evolving across the United States. The rise of charter schools, alternative teacher certification, and portfolio districts are transforming teachers’ access to employment, changing the way they search for and apply for jobs, and may also change the role that social networks play in the job search. However, we know little about how teachers use their networks to find jobs, particularly in increasingly fragmented local labor markets. We draw on interviews with 127 teachers in three districts chosen to reflect an increasing presence of charter schools: New Orleans, Detroit, and San Antonio. We find that the extent of fragmentation in a city’s labor market drives the use of networks, with important implications for job access and equity.

Networking as an information behaviour during job search

2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. 424-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Mowbray ◽  
Hazel Hall
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Young People ◽  
Job Search ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Information Behaviour ◽  
Sequential Mixed Methods ◽  
Types Of Information ◽  
Search Information

Purpose Although social networks are considered influential to employment outcomes, little is known about the behavioural manifestation of networking during job search. The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of networking amongst 16–24 year old active jobseekers living in Scotland. Design/methodology/approach A sequential, mixed methods approach was applied to gather data, including interviews (no. of participants=7), a focus group (no. of participants=6) and a survey questionnaire (no. of participants=558). The study design was underpinned by a prominent model from the field of Information Science. As such, job search networking has been treated as an information behaviour. Findings The findings show that young people acquire different types of information from network contacts throughout job search, and that frequent networking is associated with positive outcomes. This is especially true of engaging with family members, acquaintances and employers. However, barriers such as a lack of confidence or awareness mean that few young people make the most of their social contacts when seeking work. Practical implications Careers professionals can use this knowledge to advise clients on maximising the potential of social networks as sources of job search information. Originality/value A key contribution of this work is that it provides a detailed insight into a topic that has been neglected in previous studies: that of the process of job search networking as an information behaviour.

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