Accepting a job below your level could have implications for future employment, due to a perception that someone doing so is less committed or less competent, new research shows. To explore the issue and measure how the results may differ by gender, the researcher submitted 2,420 fictitious applications for 1,210 real job openings in five cities across the United States. All applicant information was kept constant, including six years of prior work experience, excluding gender and employment situation in the previous year. For the past year, the applicants were either working full-time, part-time, in a temporary position, in a job below their level or were unemployed.
The study found that about 5 percent of men and women who worked below their level received a “callback” or positive response — about half the proportion of employees in full-time jobs at their level. Less than 5 percent of men who worked part-time also received a positive response. However, part-time work had no negative effect on women, and an employment agency had little effect on either men or women. “The study provides compelling evidence that you will be penalized for taking a job below your level, regardless of someone's gender. In addition, part-time work may lower job opportunities for men, the researcher said.”
