Not Again! I’m Looking for a Job but I Don’t Know Why It Is Taking So Long!

written by Silvia Barriga

Overall, foraging is an adaptation and its expression varies over persons as well as situations. At the psychological level this means that in most domains that involve foraging-like behavior individuals tend to follow one of two default strategies. The first strategy is called a point strategy which is characterized by the tendency to form narrow goal-categories in foraging. These individuals are inclined to engage in an effortful search and, thereby, have a preference structure characterized by a narrow range of values, in the extreme case, a point on the dimensions defining domain of possible options. Whereas, the second strategy called interval strategy refers to the tendency to form broad goal-categories. These individuals are disinclined to engage in effortful search and have a preference structure characterized by a broad range of values or an interval on these dimensions (Wieczorkowska & Burnstein, 2004).

Based on foraging theory Wieczorkowska and Burnstein (2004) found that individuals who tend to form broad goal-categories, called interval strategists, gain more when options are scarce or unpredictable, whereas those tending to form narrow goal-categories gain more when options are plentiful or predictable. When job hunting, interval strategists find work faster than point strategists because their search costs are greater.

When evaluating the features of a job, point and interval strategists attribute different weights to security work (i.e. a job that is relatively secure even at the expense of pay) and systematic work (i.e. a job which performance and outcomes are multiple and variable). Point strategists are slightly more attracted to job offering secure outcomes (at the expense of pay) than interval strategists are; at the same time interval strategists are relatively averse to jobs involving systematic, regular performance while point strategists consider these sort of jobs attractive. Moreover, because interval strategists are more willing to accept a larger variety of outcomes, they are inherently more capable than point strategists of substituting among outcomes when circumstances require this (e.g. readily cease a pointless pursuit and switch to a feasible one).

Overall, individual differences in job hunting will determine the type of jobs we will pursue, and how fast we will get what we want. Finally, personality traits and foraging strategies will help us to accept rejections and keep on looking for the job we desire, and to make the right decisions when a job offer is on the table.

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