156 I
NFORMATIVE
R
ESEARCH
1989; Vinokur, Schul, Vuori, & Price, 2000). Clearly, these are two areas that
should inform each other. That is, the findings from research on the predictors
and outcomes of job search should be used as a foundation for the development of
job search interventions.
A second area where integration is lacking exists within the literature on job
search predictors and outcomes. The problem stems from studies that focus on
particular job search behaviors. For example, some studies focus exclusively on the
sources that job seekers use to find employment (e.g., Huffman & Torres, 2001; Le-
icht & Marx, 1997), while others focus on job search intensity (e.g., Wanberg et al.,
1999), networking intensity (Wanberg et al., 2000), and assertive job-seeking be-
haviors (Schmit, Amel, & Ryan, 1993). Thus, there is a need to integrate these var-
ious forms of job search behavior into a unified and integrated framework.
Another problem is the tendency for job search studies to focus on particular
outcomes. For example, some studies are mostly concerned with whether a job
seeker finds employment (e.g., Wanberg, Watt, & Rumsey, 1996), the earnings ob-
tained from employment (Huffman & Torres, 2001), or the quality of employment
obtained (Saks & Ashforth, 2002). Thus, job search studies vary in terms of the
criteria used to assess job search effectiveness (Brasher & Chen, 1999).
The main objective of this chapter is to integrate the findings from job search
research to develop a coherent and integrative model that includes the different
predictors of job search, the various forms of job search behavior, and the differ-
ent outcomes or criteria of job search success. A second objective is to develop an
intervention framework, based on the job search model, to be used for practice to
guide those who assist job seekers in finding employment. The basic notion be-
hind the job search intervention framework is that attempts to assist job seekers
should be tailored to the needs and goals of a job seeker in terms of specific job
search behaviors and outcomes.
The chapter first defines job search as a form of goal-directed behavior. Next, the
job search process is described, followed by a review of job search models. This is
followed by a review of each of the main variables in models of job search: job
search behaviors, predictors of job search, and outcomes of job search. Based on the
review, an integrative self-regulatory model of job search predictors, behaviors,
and outcomes is presented, followed by a job search intervention framework.
JOB SEARCH AS GOAL-DIRECTED BEHAVIOR
Job search is a process that consists of gathering information about potential job
opportunities, generating and evaluating job alternatives, and choosing a job
from the alternatives (Barber, Daly, Giannantonio, & Phillips, 1994). These activi-
ties determine the type and amount of information that job seekers obtain about
job openings as well as the number of job opportunities from which a job seeker
may choose.
Kanfer et al. (2001) conceptualized job search as a motivational self-regulatory
process that involves “a purposive, volitional pattern of action that begins with
the identification and commitment to pursuing an employment goal” (p. 838).
Employment goals activate job search behaviors that are intended to lead to the
employment goal. Thus, “individuals identify, initiate, and pursue actions for
the purpose of obtaining new employment or reemployment” (p. 849). Job search
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