A field experiment was carried out in metropolitan France, from January to July 2018, in order to investigate the effects of one year of recent professional experience, with or without training courses during this period. The method consisted in sending fictitious applications for secretary and home help job offers. The candidates’ CVs differed only in their professional experience for the year preceding the experiment.

One year of recent professional experience in the field of interest is a positive signal for recruiters. Indeed, being employed rather than unemployed the year before the application increases the probability of getting called back: by 1.6 percentage points for applicants for secretarial jobs and by 7.4 percentage points for home help jobs. However, the sector – market or non-market –, in which the candidates previously worked, doesn’t affect the recruiters’ selection.

In addition, for secretarial jobs, having been trained is necessary to improve the probability of being contacted by employers. On the contrary, for home help jobs, candidates often receive a call back when they have recent professional experience in a similar post, even if they have not been trained.