We are Not all the Same: Job Seeker Profiles Based on Agentic and Contextual Features

Studies on job search typically use a variable-centered approach, which assumes job seekers come from one homogeneous population in terms of their job search activities, antecedents, and outcomes. Complementing this research approach, the current study used a person-centered approach to identify subgroups of job seekers with distinct profiles varying in attitudinal, individual, behavioral, and contextual factors (i.e., job search quality, job search intensity, conscientiousness, job search self-efficacy, social pressure, job search volition, and financial need). Further, we investigated whether these profiles help predict differences in job search outcomes. Utilizing latent profile analysis, we identified four qualitatively distinct profiles among employed and unemployed job seekers: the job search laggard, the financially burdened job seeker, the financially secured job seeker, and the job search champion. As predicted, these profiles differed in their relationships with job search outcomes (i.e., rumination, number of job interviews, and job offers). The results suggest that the person-centered approach is a useful, complementary method for identifying and analyzing subgroups of job seekers within larger populations.