Self-Regulation During Job Search: The Opposing Effects of Employment Self-Efficacy and Job Search Behavior Self-Efficacy

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Liu, Songqi; Wang, Mo; Liao, Hui; Shi, Junqi
• 署名单位: Pennsylvania Commonwealth System of Higher Education (PCSHE); Pennsylvania State University; Pennsylvania State University - University Park; State University System of Florida; University of Florida; University System of Maryland; University of Maryland College Park; Sun Yat Sen University
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0021-9010
• DOI: 10.1037/a0036692
• 发表日期: 2014
• 页码: 1159-1172
• 关键词: job search; employment self-efficacy; job search behavior self-efficacy; internal attribution; goal hierarchy

摘要

Adopting a self-regulatory perspective, the current study examined the within-person relationships among job search cognitions, job search behaviors, and job search success (i.e., number of job offers received). Specifically, conceptualizing job search behaviors as guided by a hierarchy of means-end (i.e., job search behavior-employment) goal structure, we differentiated employment self-efficacy from job search behavior self-efficacy. Our results showed that higher levels of perceived job search progress could lead to more frequent job search behaviors through enhancing job search behavior self-efficacy. However, higher levels of perceived job search progress could also lead to less frequent job search behaviors through elevating employment self-efficacy. In addition, the relationships between perceived job search progress and efficacy beliefs were moderated by job seekers' level of internal attribution of their progress. Finally, we found that at the within-person level, frequency of job search behaviors was positively related to number of job offers received. These findings were discussed in terms of their theoretical and practical implications.