JOB SEARCH ACTIVITIES - AN EXAMINATION OF CHANGES OVER TIME

Existing job search research has been criticized for ignoring the dyna mic nature of search. This study examined three models of changes in s earch behavor over time: sequential, learned change, and emotional res ponse. Data on serch behaviors were collected from a sample of 186 col lege and vocational-technical school graduates early in their search, at graduation, and again 3 months following graduation for individuals who remained unemployed. Job searchers decreased the intensity of the ir search, increased their use of informal sources, and reduced their emphasis on information related to the availability of jobs between ea rly search and graduation. These changes were reversed following gradu ation. This pattern is most consistent with the sequential model, whic h suggests that individuals first search broadly to develop a pool of potential jobs, then examine jobs within that pool in detail, reopenin g the search only if the initial pool does not lead to an acceptable j ob offer.