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Feedback, Confidence and Job Search Behavior

Author

Listed:
  • Tekleselassie, Tsegay

    (Wellesley College)

  • Witte, Marc J.

    (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)

  • Radbruch, Jonas

    (Humboldt University Berlin)

  • Hensel, Lukas

    (Peking University)

  • Isphording, Ingo E.

    (IZA)

Abstract

We conduct a field experiment with job seekers to investigate how feedback influences job search and labor market outcomes. Job seekers who receive feedback on their ability compared to other job seekers update their beliefs and increase their search effort. Specifically, initially underconfident individuals intensify their job search. In contrast, overconfident individuals do not adjust their behavior. Moreover, job seekers’ willingness-to-pay (WTP) for feedback predicts treatment effects: only among underconfident individuals with positive WTP, we observe significant increases in both search effort and search success. We present suggestive evidence that this pattern arises from heterogeneity in how job seekers perceive the relevance of relative cognitive ability to job search returns. While the intervention appears cost-effective, job seekers’ WTP remains insufficient to cover its costs.

Suggested Citation

  • Tekleselassie, Tsegay & Witte, Marc J. & Radbruch, Jonas & Hensel, Lukas & Isphording, Ingo E., 2025. "Feedback, Confidence and Job Search Behavior," IZA Discussion Papers 17761, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17761
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    field experiment; job search; overconfidence; feedback; willingness-to-pay;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J64 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment: Models, Duration, Incidence, and Job Search

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