How do career adaptability and proactive career behaviours interrelate over time? An inter‐ and intraindividual investigation

Abstract

Using and extending career construction theory (CCT), this study disentangled parallel and attenuating relationships between career adaptability and proactive career behaviours on both the interindividual and intraindividual levels. Using a large heterogeneous sample of working adults, univariate and bivariate latent growth curve analyses were conducted (three measurement points, 9‐month time span). On the one hand, career adaptability and proactive career behaviours showed positive relations of initial interindividual levels. Furthermore, intraindividual changes in career adaptability and proactive career behaviours were positively related, pointing towards a parallel development. On the other hand, as predicted, the initial level of career adaptability was negatively related to the slope of developmental trajectories of proactive career behaviours. In other words, because the average growth rate for proactive career behaviours was negative, this means that individuals with higher initial career adaptability showed stronger decreases in proactive career behaviours. Finally, only the intraindividual developments of career adaptability, but not of proactive career behaviours, positively predicted higher levels of career satisfaction. These findings point towards diverse developmental relationships between career adaptability and proactive career behaviours. Results are discussed against the background of CCT and successful career development.Practitioner Points Organizational and individual career management should account for diverse interdependencies of career adaptability and proactive career behaviour developments. Career counselling that fosters career adaptability goes along with proactive career behaviour enhancement, and vice versa, within the same clients. Higher levels of initial career adaptability accelerate the decrease in proactive career behaviours within the same persons. Career adaptability should be increased within clients and employees because this increase predicts higher levels of career satisfaction.