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- Title
Wisdom of words? Age differences in language and social media use in job applications.
- Authors
Brandt, Pia Magdalena; Herzberg, Philipp Yorck
- Abstract
This cross-sectional study examines age related differences in the usage of (part 1) social media and (part 2) language behavior concerning job applications. To this end, 579 candidates were surveyed on their attitudes toward job-related social media and also their job applications were assessed. Firstly, the results show that older candidates consider social media less for application purposes and rather submit actual applications more often via offline channels. Secondly, the analysis of the application documents using Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) showed that the choice of language can be regarded as a function of age. For example, with higher age, applicants make fewer self and time references. Additionally, the specific kind of the text form influenced the results: cover letters, CVs and complete application documents were analyzed separately. The findings of this study are discussed as a possible consequence of greater experience of older candidates as well as in the light of changes in personality. Conclusions regarding the use of language as a marker of aging and implications for both applicants and recruiters are considered.
- Subjects
AGE differences; SOCIAL media; VERBAL behavior; WORD frequency; PERSONALITY change; JOB applications
- Publication
Current Psychology, 2023, Vol 42, Issue 17, p14598
- ISSN
1046-1310
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s12144-021-02646-y