Signaling cooperation

Matthias Heinz and Heiner Schumacher

European Economic Review, 2017, vol. 98, issue C, 199-216

Abstract: We examine what an applicant’s vita signals to employers about her willingness to cooperate in teams. Intensive social engagement may credibly reveal that an applicant cares about others and is less likely to free-ride in teamwork situations. We find that contributions to a public good strongly increase in a subject’s degree of social engagement as indicated on her résumé. In a prediction experiment with human resource managers, we find that employers use résumé content effectively to predict relative differences in subjects’ willingness to cooperate. Thus, a young professional’s vita signals important behavioral characteristics to potential employers. Our results complement the findings from recent studies which analyze the effects of social engagement on wages and job market prospects.

Keywords: Signaling; Public goods; Labor markets; Extracurricular activities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C72 C92 D82 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (23)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Signaling Cooperation (2016)
Working Paper: Signaling Cooperation (2015)
Working Paper: Signaling cooperation (2015)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:eecrev:v:98:y:2017:i:c:p:199-216

DOI: 10.1016/j.euroecorev.2017.06.017

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