We proposed that individuals from upper-class backgrounds are more effective at job search than their working-class counterparts in the white-collar labor market. We further proposed that this is partly because upper-class individuals adopt different job search strategies. Our predictions were tested with a time-lagged multisource survey (Study 1) and a 4-wave, 2-month longitudinal survey (Study 2) of business student job seekers. Study 1 found that parental income strengthened the relationship between job search intensity and job search success and that this interaction was mediated by a less haphazard job search strategy. Parental income also strengthened the relationship between job interviews and job offers. Study 2 mostly replicated these findings while showing that the effects generalize to other facets of class background. Study 2 additionally explored mechanisms for why working-class individuals use a more haphazard job search strategy. Although class background positively predicted social capital and social capital negatively predicted a haphazard strategy, social capital did not mediate the negative relationship between class background and a haphazard strategy. Finally, although working-class individuals use a more haphazard strategy on average, exploratory analyses show that those with high psychological capital start with a more haphazard strategy but progress to a low haphazard strategy within two months-on par with upper-class individuals. Conversely, working-class individuals with low psychological capital maintained a more haphazard approach over time. Our findings add new insights into how individuals can conduct a more effective job search and why class inequality remains so durable. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

中文翻译：

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白领劳动力市场的阶级优势：社会阶级背景、求职策略和求职成功的调查。

我们提出，与白领劳动力市场中的工人阶级同行相比，来自上层阶级背景的个人在求职方面更有效。我们进一步提出，这部分是因为上层阶级的人采用不同的求职策略。我们的预测经过了时间滞后的多源调查（研究 1）和商科学生求职者的 4 波、2 个月纵向调查（研究 2）的检验。研究 1 发现，父母的收入加强了求职强度与求职成功之间的关系，并且这种相互作用是由较不随意的求职策略介导的。父母的收入也加强了工作面试和工作机会之间的关系。研究 2 主要复制了这些发现，同时表明这些影响可以推广到班级背景的其他方面。研究 2 还探讨了工人阶级个人为何使用更随意的求职策略的机制。尽管阶级背景正向预测社会资本，社会资本负面预测随机策略，但社会资本并未中介阶级背景与随机策略之间的负相关。最后，虽然工人阶级个体平均使用更随意的策略，但探索性分析表明，具有高心理资本的人开始时采用更随意的策略，但在两个月内发展到与上层阶级个人相当的低随意策略。相反，随着时间的推移，心理资本较低的工人阶级个人会保持更加随意的方法。我们的研究结果为个人如何进行更有效的求职以及为什么阶级不平等仍然如此持久提供了新的见解。（PsycInfo 数据库记录 (c) 2020 APA，保留所有权利）。