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Unbundling the effects of college on first-job search: Returns to majors, minors, and extracurriculars

Author

Listed:
  • Arellano-Bover, Jaime
  • Bussotti, Carolina
  • Nunley, John M.
  • Seals, R. Alan

Abstract

We analyze the initial job-market matching of new US college graduates with a large-scale audit study conducted during 2016 and 2017, in which 36,880 résumés of college seniors were submitted to online job postings for business-related positions. We simulate the experience of US college students by incorporating variation in curricular and extracurricular activities. Our analysis reveals significant variation in callback rate returns to majors, with Biology and Economics majors receiving the highest rate, particularly in occupations involving high intensity of analytical and interpersonal skills. However, minors in History and Mathematics have precisely estimated zero effects on callback rates. Internship experiences that are social skills-oriented positively influence callbacks, yet this is not the case for analytical internships. Study abroad experiences enhance callback rates, predominantly in high interpersonal skill-intensive occupations. Listing both programming and data analysis skills significantly boosts callback rates. Our study provides a comprehensive characterization of which features of the college experience are more and less valuable during the high-stakes, first-job matching process.

Suggested Citation

  • Arellano-Bover, Jaime & Bussotti, Carolina & Nunley, John M. & Seals, R. Alan, 2026. "Unbundling the effects of college on first-job search: Returns to majors, minors, and extracurriculars," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:labeco:v:99:y:2026:i:c:s0927537125001708
    DOI: 10.1016/j.labeco.2025.102846
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    Cited by:

    1. Sharon Braun & Jonathan Bushnell & Zachary Cowell & David Dowling Samuel Goldstein & Andrew Johnson & George Miller & John M. Nunley & R. Alan Seals & Mingzhou Wang, 2026. "Hiring Discrimination and the Task Content of Jobs: Evidence from a Large-Scale R\'esum\'e Audit," Papers 2604.01933, arXiv.org.

    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • 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
    • I26 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Returns to Education

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