Investigating Job Search Clarity: A Motivational and Self-Regulatory Perspective

The current study investigates job search clarity and its impact on two important job search behaviors: job search intensity and the use of job search strategies. We hypothesize and find that job search clarity is positively related to the use of a focused and exploratory job search strategy, and negatively related to the use of a haphazard strategy. Using insights from goal-setting, control, and goal-systems theory, we critically examine the relationship between job search clarity and intensity, challenging the positive linear relationship that past research found, and instead, finding evidence of a curvilinear relationship.