The role of sports volunteering as a signal in the job application process

ABSTRACT

Research question: Sports volunteering can signal qualifications and distinguish applicants in the job application process. The purpose of this study was to identify and quantify the signaling effect of sports volunteering activities in a curriculum vitae (CV) to potential employers. Few previous studies have explicitly examined the labor market outcomes of sports volunteering and its effects on the job application process.

Research methods: To examine the signaling effect of volunteering activities in CVs, 474 people involved in hiring processes (i.e. hiring managers) participated in this study. Both sports volunteering activities and internship experience were examined as different experimental conditions. Moreover, the subjects were randomly split into different experimental groups and asked to rate the skills and qualifications of a female applicant, and whether they would invite the applicant to an interview and what would be the salary offered upon hiring her for three different jobs.

Results and findings: Sports volunteering had a positive effect on hiring managers’ perception of the qualifications of the applicant for all three jobs but affected the outcome of the application differently concerning the likelihood of inviting the applicant to a job interview or the salary that would be offered, but only if the job was closely related to the volunteering activity. The effects of internship experience were marginal.

Implications: Sports volunteering activities can be used to signal social skills in the context of job applications. This study provides evidence that, in some cases, there is a causal relationship between volunteering and higher wages.

KEYWORDS:

• Sports volunteering
• human capital
• signaling
• asymmetrical information
• job application process

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.