What is the Role of Locus of Control in Responses to Remote Job Offers? A High-Powered Study of Unemployed Participants in Retraining Courses

Abstract

Limited number of studies have explored role of locus of control (LoC) in job search. In this study, involving over fourteen thousand participants enrolled in retraining courses, we examined the role of LoC in individuals' responses to a hypothetical job offer located 100 km away from their current place of residence. Results indicated that internal locus of control predicted a positive response to the job offer and the tendency to seek additional information about the job offer. In addition, the internal locus of control predicted worries and the automatic rejection of job offers negatively. Conversely, the external locus of control predicted worries and a tendency to reject job offer positively and engagement in further seeking of information and positive reactions to job offer negatively. However, the size of the effects was small, indicating a need to continue the search for predictors of the reaction to the job offer. Neither type of locus of control was found to be associated with seeking advice from friends or family.