Health in Recruitment and Employment Lab

Director: Jenna McChesney, PhD @ NC State University

The Health in Recruitment and Employment Lab conducts research at the intersection of occupational health and personnel psychology to identify barriers to employment and expand access to work that fosters collective mental health and well-being.

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Areas of Research

Mental health at work

We study how mental health disclosure shapes hiring decisions and workplace perceptions and how organizations can better support employee well-being.

Career transitions and interruptions

We examine the barriers individuals face when choosing, pursuing, and changing occupations, with a focus on how career transitions and interruptions shape long-term employment outcomes and well-being.

Responsible use of social media in hiring

We investigate how social media information is used in hiring decisions and develop evidence-based guidance for using these tools responsibly, fairly, and effectively in recruitment and selection.

Lab Director

Jenna McChesney, PhD

Jenna McChesney, PhD

Jenna McChesney, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at North Carolina State University. Her research integrates occupational health and personnel psychology to identify barriers to employment and develop evidence-based strategies that expand access to work that fosters collective mental health and well-being. She also investigates how emerging technologies, such as social media and generative AI, shape employment opportunities, workplace experiences, and worker well-being. Her scholarship includes refereed journal articles, book chapters, and reports, and has been featured in Fast Company, MSNBC.com, and U.S. News & World Report.

Graduate Students

Abby Shoemaker

Abby Shoemaker

Abby joined the HiRE Lab in 2026 after earning her B.A. in Psychology, along with minors in Statistics and Business Administration, from NC State University. Her research interests include applying occupational health psychology to address the unique challenges and opportunities faced by workers and organizations in rural communities.

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Undergraduate Students

Please note: we are not accepting undergraduate applications this fall. Applications will be accepted and reviewed in Spring 2027.

If you are an undergraduate student interested in volunteering in the HiRE Lab, click here to complete an application when the Spring 2027 window opens. In the meantime, feel free to contact us through the form to be notified when applications open.

Prospective Graduate Students

Now recruiting: the HiRE Lab will be accepting a new doctoral student in 2027.

If you are interested in joining the Industrial Organizational Psychology PhD program at NC State University, please visit the website for application instructions.

Collaborators & Organizations

If you are an organization wishing to collaborate with the HiRE Lab, you can fill out the form to the right or contact us directly.

Contact

Jenna McChesney, PhD

Assistant Professor, Industrial-Organizational Psychology

NC State University

jemcches@ncsu.edu

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