Overcoming Information Asymmetry in Job Search : The Power of a Reference Letter

The labor market is characterized by information gaps between work seekers and prospective employers, particularly when it comes to hiring low-skill entry level workers. Information asymmetries about workers’ skills can result in poorer matches, lo...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors:	Carranza, Eliana, Pimkina, Svetlana
Format:	Brief
Language:	English
Published:	World Bank, Washington, DC 2018
Subjects:	JOB APPLICATION JOB SEARCH YOUTH EMPLOYMENT LABOR MARKET REFERRALS GENDER GAP GENDER BIAS JOB REFERRAL WRITING SKILL WOMEN AND YOUTH EMPLOYMENT AFRICA GENDER POLICY GENDER INNOVATION LAB
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/508611524745860721/Overcoming-information-asymmetry-in-job-search-the-power-of-a-reference-letter http://hdl.handle.net/10986/29744

id	okr-10986-29744
recordtype	oai_dc
spelling	okr-10986-297442021-05-25T10:54:37Z Overcoming Information Asymmetry in Job Search : The Power of a Reference Letter Carranza, Eliana Pimkina, Svetlana JOB APPLICATION JOB SEARCH YOUTH EMPLOYMENT LABOR MARKET REFERRALS GENDER GAP GENDER BIAS JOB REFERRAL WRITING SKILL WOMEN AND YOUTH EMPLOYMENT AFRICA GENDER POLICY GENDER INNOVATION LAB The labor market is characterized by information gaps between work seekers and prospective employers, particularly when it comes to hiring low-skill entry level workers. Information asymmetries about workers’ skills can result in poorer matches, lower productivity for employers, and increased inequity for the unemployed. One approach to resolving the asymmetry is introducing a formal referral system: reference letters from former employers. The authors finds that reference letters improve firms’ screening ability and employment outcomes, especially for women. Despite their high value, the use of reference letters in job applications is low, partly due to work seekers underestimating their value. 2018-04-27T15:41:53Z 2018-04-27T15:41:53Z 2018-04 Brief http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/508611524745860721/Overcoming-information-asymmetry-in-job-search-the-power-of-a-reference-letter http://hdl.handle.net/10986/29744 English Gender Innovation Lab Policy Brief;No. 24 CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo World Bank World Bank, Washington, DC Publications & Research Publications & Research :: Brief Africa South Africa
repository_type	Digital Repository
institution_category	Foreign Institution
institution	Digital Repositories
building	World Bank Open Knowledge Repository
collection	World Bank
language	English
topic	JOB APPLICATION JOB SEARCH YOUTH EMPLOYMENT LABOR MARKET REFERRALS GENDER GAP GENDER BIAS JOB REFERRAL WRITING SKILL WOMEN AND YOUTH EMPLOYMENT AFRICA GENDER POLICY GENDER INNOVATION LAB
spellingShingle	JOB APPLICATION JOB SEARCH YOUTH EMPLOYMENT LABOR MARKET REFERRALS GENDER GAP GENDER BIAS JOB REFERRAL WRITING SKILL WOMEN AND YOUTH EMPLOYMENT AFRICA GENDER POLICY GENDER INNOVATION LAB Carranza, Eliana Pimkina, Svetlana Overcoming Information Asymmetry in Job Search : The Power of a Reference Letter
geographic_facet	Africa South Africa
relation	Gender Innovation Lab Policy Brief;No. 24
description	The labor market is characterized by information gaps between work seekers and prospective employers, particularly when it comes to hiring low-skill entry level workers. Information asymmetries about workers’ skills can result in poorer matches, lower productivity for employers, and increased inequity for the unemployed. One approach to resolving the asymmetry is introducing a formal referral system: reference letters from former employers. The authors finds that reference letters improve firms’ screening ability and employment outcomes, especially for women. Despite their high value, the use of reference letters in job applications is low, partly due to work seekers underestimating their value.
format	Brief
author	Carranza, Eliana Pimkina, Svetlana
author_facet	Carranza, Eliana Pimkina, Svetlana
author_sort	Carranza, Eliana
title	Overcoming Information Asymmetry in Job Search : The Power of a Reference Letter
title_short	Overcoming Information Asymmetry in Job Search : The Power of a Reference Letter
title_full	Overcoming Information Asymmetry in Job Search : The Power of a Reference Letter
title_fullStr	Overcoming Information Asymmetry in Job Search : The Power of a Reference Letter
title_full_unstemmed	Overcoming Information Asymmetry in Job Search : The Power of a Reference Letter
title_sort	overcoming information asymmetry in job search : the power of a reference letter
publisher	World Bank, Washington, DC
publishDate	2018
url	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/508611524745860721/Overcoming-information-asymmetry-in-job-search-the-power-of-a-reference-letter http://hdl.handle.net/10986/29744
_version_	1764470165534146560

Overcoming Information Asymmetry in Job Search : The Power of a Reference Letter

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