Employer Feedback and the Direction of Job Search

Abstract

We study how job seekers adjust application strategies over a search spell and in response to employer feedback. Using high-frequency application data, we document three findings. First, as a spell progresses, job seekers concentrate applications in fewer submarkets, while the positive-reply rate rises. Second, job seekers direct a larger share of subsequent applications toward occupations with higher positive-reply rates. Third, this reallocation is stronger for occupations in which job seekers lack prior experience. These findings suggest an adaptive search process in which job seekers learn about their relative prospects across submarkets from employer feedback and redirect applications accordingly.

Publication
Working Paper

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