When Job Hunt Excitement Fades, the Ticking Clock Does the Trick

Although a college senior’s job hunt may start as fun and games, it’s external pressure and consequences that drive the search over the finish line, according to a new study co-authored by Serge da Motta Veiga of the American University Kogod School of Business and Allison Gabriel of the University of Arizona Eller College of Management.

Their study, published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, is the first to examine the dynamics between different forms of motivation and the effort job seekers invest during the job search process.

“Job seekers need to stay motivated to secure a job,” da Motta Veiga said. “Past research has taken a static approach to examining motivation during the job search, and ignored how the quality of one’s motivation—ranging from autonomous to controlled—can influence the job search process as time elapses.”

Read the full article at American University.

Image Courtesy of Pixabay.