Abstract
This article examines the role of student job search strategies that differ in goal-directedness (focused, exploratory, and haphazard) in achieving successful university-to-work transitions (i.e., employment in jobs with high skill use/development and qualification–job match). The relationship between job search and employment outcomes is considered in two labor market contexts—high or low ambiguity—which are represented by the comparison between arts, humanities, and social sciences (AHSS) and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) graduates, respectively. Using two-wave survey data, we find that job search strategies during university do not explain, yet differentially impact, successful outcomes one year after graduation. Fully exploring opportunities was particularly beneficial for STEM graduates (low ambiguity context) and more focused job search was beneficial for AHSS graduates (high ambiguity context). Paradoxically, findings both question and reinforce the efficacy of career agency for overcoming barriers to labor market entry, depending on the job search context. The study contributes to the agency and context debates relevant for school-to-work transitions.
Highlights
This article examines the role of student job search strategies that differ in goal-directedness in achieving successful university-to-work transitions
This article examined the role of job search strategies during university in influencing successful university-to-work transitions in the context of labor market ambiguity, by contrasting the experience of AHSS and STEM graduates
Using two-wave data from the final year of university and 1 year following graduation, our findings suggest that successful university-to-work transitions depend on tailoring job search activity to the structure of opportunities in the labor market
Summary
This article examines the role of student job search strategies that differ in goal-directedness (focused, exploratory, and haphazard) in achieving successful university-to-work transitions (i.e., employment in jobs with high skill use/development and qualification–job match). Exploring opportunities was beneficial for STEM graduates (low ambiguity context) and more focused job search was beneficial for AHSS graduates (high ambiguity context) Findings both question and reinforce the efficacy of career agency for overcoming barriers to labor market entry, depending on the job search context. This article examines the efficacy of job search strategies for successful university-to-work transitions within two graduate labor market contexts that differ with respect to the ambiguity of employment opportunities. For university leavers, this contrast is observed between arts, humanities, and social sciences (AHSS, high labor market ambiguity) graduates compared with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM, low labor market ambiguity) graduates. Successful university-to-work transition is conceptualized as the extent to which graduates have secured jobs that are commensurate with their higher education experience; that is, where they report high skill use, perceived job quality (i.e., intrinsic job features relevant for skill use and development at work), and perceived qualification match
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