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Internships, Hiring Outcomes and Underlying Mechanisms: A Stated Preferences Experiment

Author

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  • Ilse Tobback

    (KU Leuven)

  • Dieter Verhaest

    (KU Leuven)

  • Stijn Baert

    (Ghent University)

Abstract

We identify the causal effects of three types of internships (mandatory intra-curricular, voluntary intra-curricular, and voluntary extra-curricular) among university graduates on job interview and hiring chances, and explore the mechanisms underlying these effects. To this end, we perform a vignette experiment among HR professionals in Belgium. Our results indicate that internships improve one’s job interview and hiring chances, with voluntary extra-curricular internships having the strongest effect. With respect to the mechanisms, we find that internships improve employers’ perceptions about the job seekers’ skills acquired during the educational career, their pre-existing abilities and motivations, and their knowledge of the job content and working conditions. The first two types of perceptions are also found to be strong predictors of the hiring outcomes. The effects of internships on hiring chances are not found to be reduced or reinforced by the presence of other work experiences (student work, volunteering).

Suggested Citation

  • Ilse Tobback & Dieter Verhaest & Stijn Baert, 2024. "Internships, Hiring Outcomes and Underlying Mechanisms: A Stated Preferences Experiment," De Economist, Springer, vol. 172(1), pages 25-48, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:decono:v:172:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1007_s10645-023-09432-0
    DOI: 10.1007/s10645-023-09432-0
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Internships; Work experience; Tertiary education; Job opportunities; Employability; Human capital; Signalling; Matching;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • J23 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Demand
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

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