Impact of Emotional Intelligence on Career Decision-Making of Management Undergraduates

Abstract

Management undergraduates in Sri Lankan state universities have been facing huge challenges in making decisions related to their career. Hence, this article examines the impact of five dimensions of Emotional Intelligence (self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills) on Career Decision-making. Data were collected from 280 management undergraduates of state universities in Sri Lanka. Simple regression analysis and Pearson correlation were used to test the study hypotheses. Analyzed results showed a positive impact of emotional intelligence on career decision-making. Further, the five dimensions of emotional intelligence had a strong positive relationship with career decision-making. The study results underlined that undergraduates could improve their career decision-making through their emotional intelligence. The present study would provide direction to HR managers, HR policy makers, career counselors, undergraduates and future researchers. The implications of the results and limitations of the study are also noted.