Active Career Research Articles

Alternative career pathways of skilled migrants: looking for new meanings amid starting again

ABSTRACT This qualitative study aims to provide an in-depth understanding of skilled migrants’ lived experiences of alternative careers. We explore identity work and meaning-making processes of career actors for whom alternative career options often meant “beginning again”. While focusing on psychological, temporal, and contextual dimensions of alternative career transitions, our findings identify three unique alternative career pathways: provisional, experimental, and reformist; each characterized by a unique form of identity work and accompanying types of meaning-making. We find that alternative career pathways differ in terms of their temporary and at times provisional nature as well as career actors’ (in)ability to engage in the present search for meanings and purpose in alternative careers. This study advances existing literature on major career transitions and specifically migrant career trajectories inside of local organizations and through unique forms of alternative careers. We also build on the existing meaning-making literature by highlighting the career narratives of those who must search for new meanings while pursuing “less than ideal” career opportunities. Finally, our findings provide practical implications related to outcomes of alternative career opportunities on migrant career success but also more broadly for employers and policymakers.

Artificial intelligence – talent acquisition in HEIs recruitments

PurposeThe current research study aims to examine the application feasibility and impact of artificial intelligence (AI) among higher educational institutions (HEIs) in talent acquisitions (TA).Design/methodology/approachA systematic sampling method was adopted to collect the responses from the 385 staff working across the various levels of management in HEIs in metropolitan cities in India. JAMOVI & SmartPLS 4 were applied to validate the hypothesis by performing the simple percentage analysis and structural equation modelling. The demographic and construct variables considered were adoption, actual usage, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and talent management.FindingsThe key indicators of perceived usefulness are productivity, perceived ease of use, adaptability, candidate experience with the adoption of AI, frequency in decision-making in its actual usage and career path of development in the HEIs. These are the most influential items impacting the application of AI in TA.Originality/valueAI has the potential to revolutionize TA in HEIs in the form of enhanced efficiency, improved candidate experience, more objective hiring decisions, talent analytics and risk automation. However, they facilitate resume screening, candidate sourcing, applicant tracking, interviewing and predictive analytics for attrition.

Pluralistic ignorance and occupational choice: The impact of communicating norms on graduate students' career aspirations

AbstractOccupational choices at the early stage of one's career path are influenced by the real and imagined input of mentors. This research focuses on PhD advisors and the graduate students that they mentor. Each participant in that dyadic mentoring relationship holds assumptions about the beliefs of the other regarding the students' career preferences. We propose that, in the absence of discussions surrounding career goals in such relationships, pluralistic ignorance surrounding career norms may develop. PhD students may assume that their advisors prefer that students seek academic research positions; while advisors may assume students prefer academic research positions and may not bring up alternative careers. Three studies adopt a mixed‐method approach to investigate divergent experiences surrounding career discussions. Study 1A (N = 301 faculty members in STEM fields) features qualitative and quantitative data and found that PhD advisors have experience working with students whose career preferences did not align with their expectations, and report changing their mentorship approaches while maintaining rigorous training. Study 1B (N = 195 PhD students in STEM fields) features qualitative data and found that students, although generally comfortable discussing different career options with their advisors, report several concerns that deterred them from discussing nonacademic research positions. Study 2, an experiment designed to compare perceived with actual norms (N = 200 PhD students in STEM fields) revealed that such discomfort could be alleviated by making explicit advisors' support for diverse career options and actual career preferences. The present research provides insights about pluralistic ignorance with implications for having more holistic career discussions in dyadic mentor relationships.

Understanding careers as translations: the importance of Bruno Latour for the study of careers

PurposeThis paper argues that Bruno Latour’s work on translation provides an alternative to dominant anthropocentric, individualistic and managerial approaches in career studies by considering careers as precarious effects of networks instead of the implicit assumption of individual strategic career actors in extant career research paradigms.Design/methodology/approachThe article first compares the three main current approaches to studying careers – structural functionalist, interpretivist and critical – illustrated by three exemplary empirical studies. Subsequently, three concepts from the sociology of translation that are relevant for the study of careers are introduced: career making as translating interests, careers as effects of networks and career action as dislocated and overtaken. Taken together, these three concepts allow us to conceive of careers as practices performed by human and nonhuman actors. Finally, an example from an ethnographic case study in the field of contemporary art illustrates how a Latourian approach can be used.FindingsLatour’s work on translation provides conceptual and methodological tools to investigate career processes and practices in an era of unpredictability.Originality/valueThe paper introduces Bruno Latour’s work on translation to the study of careers.

Who becomes a civil servant? Evidence from a decade of youth panel analysis

ABSTRACT This article explores the patterns of bureaucratic recruitment—focusing on who prepares for and passes the civil service examination—using unique panel data that capture and track career aspirations, socioeconomic backgrounds, and actual career trajectories of tens of thousands of Korean youth for 12 years. Our analysis shows that those who are better educated, prosocial, and well-off are positively correlated with the likelihood of preparing for the examination. Moreover, we find that, contrary to some worries, the likelihood of passing the examination is positively correlated with talented and prosocial candidates with no strong connection to more affluent family backgrounds.

Career Guidance Advocacy Program and The Grade 10 Completers’ Career Choice

Upon entering senior high school, students choose a career track. School counselors/designates through the career guidance advocacy activities play a vital role in student’s readiness for related career decision. With this, the study determined the extent of implementation of the Career Guidance Advocacy Program and its relation to the actual career choice of the Senior High School students. A descriptive correlational research design using documentary data was utilized and conducted in 60 selected public secondary schools in the Division of Bohol which involved 1,200 Grade 11&12 students enrolled in school year 2019-2020; with 60 guidance counselors/designates and 60 homeroom advisers. The instrument used were adapted and modified by the researcher based on the guidelines stipulated in Enhance Basic Education Act of 2013; DepEd Order No. 41, series of 2015, and Developing for National Standard for School Counseling in the Philippines questionnaire by Clemeña 2010. The result showed that educational qualification, job description, years of experience, lack of training and resources and time constrained affect the conduct of the career guidance activities. For the actual choice of the students, the majority were not able to follow the NCAE result due to a lot of intervening factors. The test of correlation revealed that the career guidance activities did not directly relate with the choices of the students. Hence, areas for enhancement of the career guidance advocacy program were put forward.

Exploring Medical Career Choice to Better Inform Swiss Physician Workforce Planning: Protocol for a National Cohort Study.

A medical student's career choice directly influences the physician workforce shortage and the misdistribution of resources. First, individual and contextual factors related to career choice have been evaluated separately, but their interaction over time is unclear. Second, actual career choice, reasons for this choice, and the influence of national political strategies are currently unknown in Switzerland. The overall objective of this study is to better understand the process of Swiss medical students' career choice and to predict this choice. Our specific aims will be to examine the predominately static (ie, sociodemographic and personality traits) and predominately dynamic (ie, learning context perceptions, anxiety state, motivation, and motives for career choice) variables that predict the career choice of Swiss medical school students, as well as their interaction, and to examine the evolution of Swiss medical students' career choice and their ultimate career path, including an international comparison with French medical students. The Swiss Medical Career Choice study is a national, multi-institution, and longitudinal study in which all medical students at all medical schools in Switzerland are eligible to participate. Data will be collected over 4 years for 4 cohorts of medical students using questionnaires in years 4 and 6. We will perform a follow-up during postgraduate training year 2 for medical graduates between 2018 and 2022. We will compare the different Swiss medical schools and a French medical school (the University of Strasbourg Faculty of Medicine). We will also examine the effect of new medical master's programs in terms of career choice and location of practice. For aim 2, in collaboration with the Swiss Institute for Medical Education, we will implement a national career choice tracking system and identify the final career choice of 2 cohorts of medical students who graduated from 4 Swiss medical schools from 2010 to 2012. We will also develop a model to predict their final career choice. Data analysis will be conducted using inferential statistics, and machine learning approaches will be used to refine the predictive model. This study was funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation in January 2023. Recruitment began in May 2023. Data analysis will begin after the completion of the first cohort data collection. Our research will inform national stakeholders and medical schools on the prediction of students' future career choice and on key aspects of physician workforce planning. We will identify targeted actions that may be implemented during medical school and may ultimately influence career choice and encourage the correct number of physicians in the right specialties to fulfill the needs of currently underserved regions. DERR1-10.2196/53138.

Chinese high school students' career development: Associations with academic self-efficacy and motivation

This research explored the interconnection between career and academic progress in the context of Gaokao pressure among Chinese high school students. Employing a three-wave longitudinal design, 1260 students were analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) over two years. Findings unveiled a positive correlation between career development and academic motivation and self-efficacy. Moreover, the study revealed that career action moderated academic self-efficacy based on the trajectory of career development. Increasing career development positively impacted academic self-efficacy, while declining career development had a negative effect. These results underscore the necessity for tailored career education interventions. Students with well-established career development can benefit from practical opportunities, whereas those with less mature development can benefit from comprehensive career information. This study offers valuable insights for educators and policymakers to foster optimal academic and career advancement among Chinese high school students.

Mind the professional void! Career capital development and transfer in international assignments

PurposeThis study aims to address this unexplored influence of international assignment types on the development, transfer and utilization of career capital by assigned repatriates from host to home country. In response to existing literature gap, it aligns with the need for qualitative case studies that delve into threats to the self-reinforcement of repatriates' career capital.Design/methodology/approachBy mean of a qualitative case study, this paper deepens understanding of linkages and processes in career capital development and clarify the interplay between individual interpretations of career actions and the organizational context in which they unfold. Nineteen qualitative interviews with assigned repatriates explored the impact of exposure to new career contexts.FindingsThis study provides valuable insights into the complex dynamics of career capital development and transfer during international assignments. It elucidates the impact of career context on assigned repatriates' career capital, emphasizing challenges in career capital generation, dispersion and absorption within multinational enterprises. It contributes to understanding the complexities of (new) managerial capacity development by revealing varied effects that international assignments can exert on individuals' immediate competencies and career capital.Practical implicationsIf the assigned expatriate/repatriate’s understanding of the firm’s assignment motive, and their own motive (understanding/reason) for the assignment corresponds then expectations of outcomes can be better managed. Organizations otherwise run the risk of perpetuating inequities in the career development opportunities of employees.Originality/valueStudies on career capital emphasize its qualities or examine different globally mobile employee types. Yet there's a gap in understanding how the type of assignment impacts career capital development, transfer and utilization. This research fills this void by investigating the international transfer of career capital from host to home country specifically for assigned repatriates.

Individuals' career perceptions in different institutionalized contexts: A comparative study of career actors in liberal, coordinated, hierarchical and mediterranean market economies

AbstractLeveraging Weiner's attribution theory of intrapersonal motivation at the micro level and varieties of capitalism theory at the macro level, we conduct a multi‐country and cross‐level study examining whether individuals' career goals (i.e., perceived importance of learning and development), behaviors (i.e., proactive career behaviors), and outcomes (i.e., perceived employability) as well as the relationships between these variables, differ between different market economies. We challenge extant literature that focuses on the agentic role of individuals and understates the role of context (i.e., market economy influence) in an individual's career development. Using multilevel structural equation modeling, we draw on a survey of 15,201 individuals between 2014 and 2016 from 22 countries representing four different varieties of capitalism. The results showed that workers in hierarchical (HME) and Mediterranean (MME) market economies systematically differed from individuals in coordinated (CME) and liberal (LME) market economies in proactive career behaviors and perceived employability. Moreover, while the positive relationship between perceived importance of learning and development and proactive career behaviors was stronger in CMEs and LMEs compared to HMEs and MMEs, the positive association between proactive career behaviors and perceived employability was weaker. Our study bridges the micro‐macro gap in career studies, adding new insights into the ongoing conversation of contextual influence in individuals' career development.

Career Guidance Helps Students Choose the Right Career Path

Currently, many students still choose majors that do not align with their actual career aspirations. Career guidance plays a crucial role in helping students identify their interests, talents, values, and life goals. Therefore, career guidance is a process of guidance and support, aiding students in making more confident and informed decisions. Additionally, career guidance is a vital aspect of education aimed at assisting students in developing self-awareness and selecting suitable career paths. Through a profound understanding of students' interests and potentials, career guidance can assist them in navigating a more purposeful career path selection process while minimizing the risk of making decisions that do not align with their desires and talents. The methodology employed involves the analysis of various literature sources, journals, and articles relevant to the topic. The analysis highlights that career guidance is not only about choosing a job but also about laying a strong foundation for a successful and fulfilling future.

학교 밖 청소년의 학업중단과 진로 선택에 관한 사례 연구

Objectives The purpose of this study is to look at the current status and problems of out-of-school youth, analyze the life situation of out-of-school youth and difficulties in choosing a career, and devise a plan that can be of practical help to them. Methods As for the research method, various literature, research papers, and government policy-related data were collected and reviewed in order to examine the current status and problems of academic suspension of out-of-school youth, and in-depth interviews with research participants were conducted to determine the actual state of life after school suspension and actual career path. The contents of the selection method were analyzed in depth. Results The results of this study showed that the common psychological characteristics of adolescents who dropped out of school were that they had no clear goals and hopes due to helplessness at the time of dropping out of school, and they had no specific plans for what they would do or want to become after dropping out of school. As a result of the interview with the research participants, the representative factor of school dropout was a combination of academic factors and family factors. As for the family factors, economic difficulties due to parental divorce and lack of care in the family were found to be the causes. Complex factors include cases in which several factors, such as academic problems, friends problems, and family problems, work in combination. Conclusions In conclusion, it seems that out-of-school youth's life situation and career choice should first come up with a plan to resolve the sense of dropout and alienation of youth who cannot adapt to the institutional framework of public education. Second, there is a need for management and support measures for adolescents who are maladjusted to school, starting from family dissolution due to parental divorce and economic conditions. Third, legal and institutional management and support are needed for adolescents with poor academic performance or difficulties in adapting to school life. Fourth, counseling and support for the mental health and welfare of adolescents should be activated. Finally, it is necessary to expand institutional and policy support for out-of-school youth.

Career Sustainability: Framing the Past to Adapt in the Present for a Sustainable Future

The emerging literature concerning sustainable careers posits that career development is an adaptive and dynamic process of creating person–career fit, in pursuit of a career that is happy, healthy, and productive. Our goal is to advance this literature by delving deeper into the intrapersonal processes involved in constructing career sustainability—which involves meeting one’s needs in the present without sacrificing one’s needs in the future—and clarifying the role of time in this process. We articulate a fundamentally subjective, intrapersonal process of enacting career sustainability that draws upon career construction theory, prospective and adaptive sensemaking, conservation of resources theory, and career adaptability to articulate how individuals reflect, frame, envision, re-frame, and ultimately, adapt to effect and maintain their career sustainability over time. This expansion brings added conceptual depth to earlier sustainable careers models by situating the career firmly within the agency of the career actor and articulating how this process unfolds with specific recognition of the past, present, and future. Educators, career counselors, HR representatives, and community organizations are called upon to promote and support career sustainability and support individuals through this dynamic and adaptive process.

Career success of expatriates: the impacts of career capital, expatriate type, career type and career stage

PurposeThis paper investigates whether career capital (CC) development abroad, expatriate type, career type and career stage affect expatriates' career success in terms of perceived marketability and the number of promotions.Design/methodology/approachThe study presents findings from a 2020 follow-up study among 327 expatriates, including assigned expatriates (AEs) (n = 117) and self-initiated expatriates (SIEs) (n = 220), who worked abroad in 2015 and 2016. Among that group, 186 had continued their international career, while 141 had repatriated. Structural equation modeling with robust maximum likelihood estimation was used to test this study's hypotheses. MPlus 8.6 software supported the analysis.FindingsThe study outlines that CC developed abroad positively impacts perceived marketability and the number of promotions. Second, repatriates reported a greater degree of perceived marketability than those continuing an international career. Career type did not predict the number of promotions. The expatriate type did not influence any of the career success measures. Finally, expatriates in their late-career stage did not achieve a similar level of career success as those in other career stages.Research limitations/implicationsAll the expatriates were university-educated Finnish engineers and business professionals, and the career benefits of expatriation could differ for different sample groups. The study calls for more context-sensitive global careers research. The findings have positive implications for self-guided career actors considering working abroad. Organizations could focus more of their global talent attraction, management and career efforts on SIEs.Originality/valueTo analyze the impacts of these four antecedents on the career success of expatriates, the authors cooperated with two Finnish labor unions in 2020 to explore the careers of 327 expatriates, having surveyed the same group in 2015/2016. Such follow-up studies are not very common in expatriation research since it is difficult to keep track of expatriates who change locations and employers.

Self-initiated expatriation: a career perspective through a social chronology lens

PurposeThis is a conceptual paper, intended to link the constructs self-initiated expatriation (SIE) and career. The author suggests that regarding SIE as an episode in a career allows one to use ideas from the careers literature to suggest novel areas for research on SIE, thereby contributing to the SIE literature. The author employs a particular perspective on career – the social chronology framework (SCF) – to show how the framework can suggest these novel areas of research on self-initiated expatriation. The SCF views careers through three perspectives related to the space within which the career takes place, the career actor who “has” the career, and the time over which the career plays out. By looking at SIEs through each of these perspectives in turn a number of research questions are suggested that have the potential to enrich the SIE literature.Design/methodology/approachThe paper first considers the construct of career and shows how self-initiated expatriation fits with it. Next, it introduces the SCF, and finally shows how it can be used to derive ideas for research on self-initiated expatriation.FindingsThere are none, given that this is a conceptual paper.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper suggests future directions for research on SIEs.Originality/valueThe author believes that the application of the SCF to the study of self-initiated expatriation is novel.

PENGUKURAN DIMENSI KARIER PROTEAN DAN BOUNDARYLESS: KOMBINASI ATAU IMPLIKASI

Contemporary career research is characterized by the concepts of boundaryless and protean careers. The concepts of boundaryless and protean careers are compared in this review. The boundaryless career concept is profiled according to Sullivan and Arthur's categories of physical and psychological limitations. The protean career concept is discussed based on the degree of self-directed and value-oriented career orientation exhibited by a career actor. The researcher combined the protean and boundaryless career descriptions to produce eight career profiles based on a combination of boundaryless and protean career orientations. These eight profiles were examined in terms of the challenges to career actors and individuals that assist them in individual career development.

How do occupational goals influence adult women’s and men’s decisions to opt out of aspired mathematics-related careers during adolescence?

An explanation for the underrepresentation of women in mathematical fields is the communal goal congruity perspective; that women tend to value communal over agentic goals, perceived to not be afforded by mathematical careers. Less is known about how agentic and communal goals may interact to influence mathematical career trajectories. Analysing a longitudinal dataset, we examined gender differences and combinations of agentic and communal goals, and how goal groups associated with trajectories from adolescent aspirations until actual careers. Among 279 participants followed from secondary school until approximately 20 years later, women valued communal goals higher than men but agentic goals similarly. Despite similar mathematical achievement, the low agentic/high communal goal group was the only group to decline in their choice of a mathematics-related career. There were more women in this group than men, concordant with the communal goal congruity perspective. Implications for future research and educational practice are discussed.

Untangling Space and Career Action: Migrant Career Recontextualization in the Host City

Untangling Space and Career Action: Migrant Career Recontextualization in the Host City

Career Choices of BSW Graduates of an Older Adults Concentration: An Analysis of Twenty Cohorts

ABSTRACT Most of the studies exploring social work education’s impact on working with older adults (OA) examine intentions among students. This study goes beyond expressed intention and focuses upon the actual post-graduation career choices of 20 cohorts (1996–2016) of BSW graduates of an OA concentration at an Israeli school of social work. The 203 study participants comprise 60% of all the concentration`s graduates. Findings showed that 47% of the graduates never worked with OA after graduation, 25% reported that they had but this was no longer the case, and 28% are currently working with OA. Graduates distanced themselves from the aging field primarily because they found it uninteresting or unappealing and viewed social work with OA negatively. However, most of those currently working with older adults associated this work with positive feelings toward OA and work with them, favorable workplace conditions, and a commitment to advancing the field of social work with OA. Social work educators now need to rethink how to better expose students to work with OA during the concentration in ways that increase their positive experience and attitudes toward working with this population and that can increase the likelihood of a career choice to work with them.

코로나19에 대한 태도와 두려움이 일 대학 간호대학생의 진로준비행동에 미치는 영향 분석

Objectives This study was conducted to confirm how the attitude and fear of COVID-19 affect the career preparation behavior of nursing students in the pandemic situation. Methods 164 nursing students participated in this study. The data collection period was from January 13 to February 7, 2022. The collected data were analyzed using the SPSS/WIN 25.0 program. For statistical analysis, descriptive statistics, independent t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's Correlation, and hierarchical multiple regression analysis were conducted according to the characteristics of the variables. Results First, there was a statistically significant difference in subjectively recognized health status and major satisfaction in the career preparation behavior of nursing students. Second, the degree of attitude of nursing students toward COVID-19 was 4.14, the fear of COVID-19 was 2.48, and the career preparation behavior was 3.18. Third, the career preparation behavior of nursing students showed a statistically significant positive correlation with their attitude toward COVID-19 and fear of COVID-19. Finally, the significant factors affecting the career preparation behavior of nursing students were attitudes toward COVID-19 and fear of COVID-19, and the explanatory power of career preparation behavior was 22.2%. Conclusions Based on the results of this study, it is important to establish a personalized career action plan from new students so that nursing students can perform career-related preparatory actions. If these education are provided, it will help strengthen college students' career preparation behavior.