The university-to-work transition: Responses of universities and organizations to the COVID-19

Abstract

Our purpose is to understand how universities and organizations have responded to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic (COVID) in terms of preparing university students and recent graduates for entry into the global labor market, using the accounting, banking, and finance sector as a case study. The three research questions are: (1) What characteristics (technical and personal skills) do university careers services and organizations consider as desirable in early careers talent following the COVID? (2) How can university careers services and organizations work individually and collaboratively to best develop early careers talent following the COVID? (3) What are the challenges that university career services and organizations face when working individually or collaboratively to develop early careers talent following the COVID? The data for thematic analysis comes from 36 semi-structured interviews with Careers Advisors (n=19) and Graduate Recruiters (n=17). Theoretically, our contribution comes from applying a framework of career construction theory within the context of a career ecosystem to understand the views of the intermediary, meso-level actors, which, to-date, have lacked representation within career literature. This study, therefore, offers some of the first findings on the impact of the COVID, helping to ensure that organizational behavior and career theory literature reflect the dramatically changing landscape in the university-to-work transition. Practically, we provide an insightful bridge between universities and organizations, offering opportunities for greater collaboration, and enhanced outcomes for all stakeholders.