How does affect relate to job search effort and success? It depends on pleasantness, activation, and core self‐evaluations

Although research indicates that affect is related to job search self‐regulation, evidence is mixed. Such mixed results may be because most prior studies examined either the information—pleasantness—function of affect, or the motivation—activation—function of affect, although affect is theorized to serve both functions. Based on the circumplex model of affect, we examine four types of affect based on pleasantness and activation, namely activated and deactivated positive and negative affect. We propose that these four types of affect have different effects on job search processes—effort—and in turn outcomes—number of interviews and job offers. Furthermore, we draw on Hoyle's conditional influence approach (2006, 2010) to propose that how job seekers react to affect depends on individual differences in self‐regulation abilities as indicated by core self‐evaluations (CSEs). In an 8‐week repeated‐measure study, we found that both activated positive and activated negative affect related positively to job search processes and outcomes. These relationships were negative for deactivated positive affect, and nonsignificant for deactivated negative affect. CSE moderated the positive relationships of activated positive and activated negative affect with job search processes and outcomes, such that these relationships were positive only for job seekers high in CSE.