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Work Hard or Play Hard? Degree Class, Student Leadership and Employment Opportunities

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  • Baert, Stijn

    (Ghent University)

  • Verhaest, Dieter

    (KU Leuven)

Abstract

We investigated the impact on first hiring outcomes of two main curriculum vitae (CV) characteristics by which graduates with a tertiary education degree distinguish themselves from their peers: degree class and extra-curricular activities. These characteristics were randomly assigned to 2,800 fictitious job applications that were sent to real vacancies in Belgium. Academic performance and extra-curricular engagement both enhanced job interview rates by about 7%. The effect of a higher degree class was driven by female (versus male) candidates and candidates with a master's (versus a bachelor's) degree. We did not find evidence for these CV characteristics to be substitutes or to reinforce each other's effect.

Suggested Citation

  • Baert, Stijn & Verhaest, Dieter, 2018. "Work Hard or Play Hard? Degree Class, Student Leadership and Employment Opportunities," IZA Discussion Papers 11971, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp11971
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    Cited by:

    1. Van Belle, Eva & Caers, Ralf & Cuypers, Laure & De Couck, Marijke & Neyt, Brecht & Van Borm, Hannah & Baert, Stijn, 2020. "What do student jobs on graduate CVs signal to employers?," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    2. Baert, Stijn & Picchio, Matteo, 2021. "A signal of (Train)ability? Grade repetition and hiring chances," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 188(C), pages 867-878.
    3. Philippe Sterkens & Ralf Caers & Marijke De Couck & Victor Van Driessche & Michael Geamanu & Stijn Baert, 2023. "Costly mistakes: Why and when spelling errors in resumes jeopardise interview chances," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 18(4), pages 1-20, April.
    4. Piopiunik, Marc & Schwerdt, Guido & Simon, Lisa & Woessmann, Ludger, 2020. "Skills, signals, and employability: An experimental investigation," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 123(C).
    5. Mahdi Gholami & Samuel Muehlemann, 2024. "Pathways to Prosperity: The Roles of Cognitive and Non-Cognitive Skills in Employer Quality and Early Career Earnings," Economics of Education Working Paper Series 0212, University of Zurich, Department of Business Administration (IBW), revised Dec 2024.
    6. Stankov, Petar, 2024. "The death of exams? Grade inflation and student satisfaction when coursework replaces exams," International Review of Economics Education, Elsevier, vol. 46(C).
    7. Baert, Stijn & Herregods, Jolien & Sterkens, Philippe, 2024. "What does job applicants’ body art signal to employers?," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 217(C), pages 742-755.
    8. 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.

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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
    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments

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