Career Competencies Research Articles

"One Assignment, Two Careers: Exploiting Expatriate Talent with a Dual- Career Competency Framework"

Effective global staffing practices are designed to exploit the presence of talent. Nonetheless, talent can be problematic to secure, and manage, when it is camouflaged in a dual-career expatriate context. While research has pointed out the gap in identifying appropriate selection processes for dual-career expatriate couples (DCECs), efforts to create a holistic view of dual-career management have remained limited. This conceptual paper argues that acquiring a dual-career competency may lead to a competitive advantage within global organizations. We systematically review the literature on dual- career expatriation to identify a set of related behaviours demonstrated by DCECs that impact on successful international assignment performance, noting key features of dual-career expatriation that can inform the selection process.

고등학생 근로경험과 성별에 따른 진로역량 및 진로준비행동의 차이 연구

본 연구는 고교생들의 근로경험 유형--근로경험 없음, 긍정적 근로경험, 부정적 근로경험--에 따라 진로역량과 진로준비행동에 어떠한 차이가 있는지를 살펴보고, 근로경험 유형과 성별 간에 진로역량 및 진로준비행동에의 상호작용효과가 있는지 알아본다. 이를 위해 한국청소년정책연구원의 "2009년 청소년 진로 직업 실태조사" 자료로부터 3,499명 고등학생들의 근로경험과 진로 관련 자료들을 사용하여 이원 다변량분산분석(two-way MANOVA)을 실행하였다. 전반적으로 여학생이 남학생보다 진로역량과 진로준비행동에 있어 높은 수준을 보인 가운데 여학생의 경우 남학생보다 부정적 근로경험의 역효과가 더 큰 것을 알 수 있었다. 진로역량과 진로준비행동에서 근로경험 유형과 성별의 상호작용 효과가 존재하였으며, 여학생에게 있어 근로경험 자체보다는 부정적 근로경험이 진로역량 및 진로준비행동과 부정적인 관련성이 있음을 암시하였다. 남학생의 경우, 근로경험이 진로역량 및 진로준비행동과 긍정적인 영향과 관계가 있음을 시사하는 결과를 보여 주었다. 특히 자기이해 역량과 확장된 진로준비행동에 있어서는 남학생의 부정적 근로경험이 도움이 될 수 있음을 암시하였다. The purposes of this study were 1) to explore the differences in career competency and career preparation behavior in accordance with high school students' work experience types and 2) to examine the interaction effects between work experience type and sex or work experience type and grades. Three work experience types were classified as no work experience, positive work experience, and negative work experience. The study used the data from "2009 Youth Career? Occupation Survey" conducted in the National Youth Policy Institute. For the statistical analysis, two-way MANOVA was employed. The results indicated that female students had higher levels of career competency and career preparation than male students. Also, female students showed higher negative effects of negative work experience compared to male students. The analysis confirmed the interaction effects between work experience types and sex. Female students showed the higher negative effects of negative work experience than no work experience, whereas work experience, whether or not it is negative, was helpful for male students in career competency and career preparation behavior.

Constructing career competency model of hospitality industry employees for career success

Purpose– This study aimed to focus on developing a career competency model by examining the relationships among career competencies and career success from a career development viewpoint.Design/methodology/approach– This study adopted questionnaire survey to collect data from a sample of 277 respondents at 36 international tourist hotels and used the AMOS statistical software package to perform structural equation modeling (SEM) for analysis.Findings– The results showed that career competency model is a multifaceted construct comprising four competency dimensions that influence the career success of food and beverage (F&B) department employees in international tourist hotels. In particular, the competencies related to “career adjustment and control” competency dimension were the most influential competencies for career success.Originality/value– The career competencies detailed in this study are a potential reference for the planning of core or general education courses in the hospitality domain. Hospitality programs can offer a “hospitality career and employability” course that presents modules such as career recognition, career planning, self-management, job-seeking and mobility techniques, problem solving skills, ethics and safety in the workplace, workplace attitude, teamwork, and communication and networking skills.

The perceptions of an EMBA experience in China: an exploratory study

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to report on perceptions of an Executive MBA (EMBA) experience to the development of Chinese managers’ careers.Design/methodology/approachThis qualitative research drew on in‐depth interviews with a sample of alumni from two business schools in China. Narrative analysis focused on career competency development.FindingsChinese managers perceived the career outcomes of undertaking the EMBA and reported “knowing‐whom” benefits such as sharing information, building reputation and exchanging acquired knowledge, “knowing‐how” namely as a source of learning and “knowing‐why” namely work‐life balance.Research limitations/implicationsThe research presents a small sample and so cannot be applicable to the wider population. It is exploratory in nature and intended to encourage debate over the perceived importance of career competencies accrued from EMBA studies in an Eastern context.Originality/valueThe paper adds to existing research on career competency development through the EMBA experience. It offers insights into Chinese managers’ networking ability to put people together and to acquire information, opportunities and resources for career management and development purposes.

The role of career competencies in the Job Demands — Resources model

This study investigated the role of career competencies as a mediator in the Job Demands — Resources model. Structural equation modeling with data from 305 young employed persons aged 16–30 years showed that career competencies are positively related to job resources and work engagement, but not to job demands and emotional exhaustion. Furthermore, career competencies had a partially mediating effect on the relationship between job resources and work engagement, and job resources had a partially mediating effect on the relationship between career competencies and work engagement. These findings suggest that career competencies may act in a similar way as personal resources in fostering work engagement. Our results underline the importance of combining research on job design and career development, and suggest that career competencies may have a role in stimulating employee wellbeing. Career counselors and HR programs may benefit from this insight by simultaneously increasing job resources and career competencies to increase employee wellbeing.

A survey of the opinions of recent veterinary graduates and employers regarding early career business skills

A questionnaire was designed to assess recent veterinary graduates' proficiency in early career business skills, from the perspectives of graduates of 2006-2008 and employers of recent graduates in the UK. Recent graduates perceived themselves to be generally more competent in financial matters than employers considered them to be. However, when specific skills were assessed, graduates felt less prepared than employers considered them to be competent. Overall, graduates and employers rated recent graduates' preparedness/competence as poor to average for all skills, which were regarded as having average to high importance. Both groups commented on the difficulties faced by new graduates in terms of client communication (generally and financially), and having the confidence to charge clients appropriately for veterinary services. The results of this study indicate that veterinary schools need to take a more active role in the teaching of basic finance skills in order to equip graduates with essential early career competencies. It is anticipated that the information reported will help inform undergraduate curriculum development and highlight the need for increased training at the continuing education level.

PENGARUH MANAJEMEN KARIR TERHADAP KEPUASAN KARIS MELALUI KOMPETENSI PEGAWAI

The purpose of this research is to acknowledge the effect of a career management toward the career satisfaction through the career competency of the staff at Park Lane Hotel, Jakarta. The data samples of this research are random spread to the hotel staffs. Out of 125 respondents from all levels of staff positions in Park Lane Hotel, only 120 data are performed. The dataanalysis in this research is measured by Structural Equation Modelling with Amos 6.0. Due to data analysis, it is discovered that career management has a positive and significant effects toward the career satisfaction of the hotel staafs, as to the career management has no effect to the career competency of the hotel staffs. The career competency has positive and significant effect to the career satisfaction, and the career competency cannot mediated the relation between career management to the career satisfaction of the hotel staffs.The implication for the manager of the Park Lane Hotel, Jakarta is to give serious activities concerning the career management to the staff that will assist them to gain more knowledge of the update industry development to gain higher in the career satisfaction of the staffs. In the future research, it needs more details concerning the organization effect and individual and culture factors of the staffs.Keywords : career management, career satisfaction and career competency.

Does cross-cultural adjustment coincide with career capital growth? Evidence from Vienna, Austria

Using a sample of 154 employed expatriates, who have lived in Vienna, Austria, for up to 10 years, this paper explores if and to what extent career competency growth and cross-cultural adjustment coincide. Cognitive and affective aspects of cross-cultural adjustment to relationships, day-to-day interactions and general living conditions are analysed. The study uncovers details about the relationship between the cognitive and affective dimensions of cross-cultural adjustment and the development of knowing-how, knowing-whom and knowing-why. The most important result is that principally the affective dimension of cross-cultural adjustment relates to gains in career capital.

The relationship between career competencies, career identity, motivation and quality of choice

In this article we focus on the effects of career education and guidance among students (ages 12–19) enrolled in prevocational and secondary vocational education in The Netherlands. Our study included 3,499 students and 166 teachers in 226 classes in 34 schools. The results showed that career competencies positively contributed to learning motivation, experienced quality of study choice, experienced fit of choice with learning tasks, and experienced fit of internship. Career identity positively contributed to career outcomes, and career dialogue contributed more than traditional interventions have with respect to career outcomes.

Development and Validation of the Career Competencies Indicator (CCI)

This article describes the development and validation of the Career Competencies Indicator (CCI); a 43-item measure to assess career competencies (CCs). Following an extensive literature review, a comprehensive item generation process involving consultation with subject matter experts, a pilot study and a factor analytic study on a large sample yielded a seven-factor structure; goal setting and career planning, self-knowledge, job performance, career-related skills, knowledge of (office) politics, career guidance and networking, and feedback seeking and self-presentation. Coefficient α reliabilities of the seven dimensions ranged from .93 to .81. Convergent validity was established by showing that all 7-CCs loaded substantially onto a single second-order factor representing the general CC construct. Discriminant validity was established by showing less than chance similarity between the 7-CCI subscales and the Big Five personality scales. The results also suggested criterion-related validity of the CCI, since CCs were found to jointly predict objective and subjective career success.

Applying career competencies in career management

Changes in the labour market mean that individuals are increasingly required to take more responsibility for their own careers. In order to do so, they have to develop the skills and abilities necessary to secure employability. However, many employees need help in managing their careers (Kidd et al., 2004). One effective way of supporting individuals in their career development is though career guidance emphasising competencies. This article follows a previous article (Haase at al; ADM, 2012) and presents a recent study into the development of career competencies in police officers.

Competencies for the Contemporary Career

A new and promising area of research has recently emerged in the field of career development: career competencies. The present article provides a framework of career competencies that integrates several perspectives from the literature. The framework distinguishes between reflective, communicative, and behavioral career competencies. Six career competencies are discerned: reflection on motivation, reflection on qualities, networking, self-profiling, work exploration, and career control. Based on this framework, we developed the Career Competencies Questionnaire (CCQ) and preliminarily validated it in two samples of young employees between 16 and 30 years of age. The results provided initial support for the content, factorial, discriminant, and incremental validity of the CCQ. We hope to stimulate further discussion, research, and development of interventions in the area of career development. Implications for theory and practice are also discussed.

The influence of teachers’ career guidance profiles on students’ career competencies

In this article, we examine the relationship between different career guidance styles of vocational education teachers and vocational education students’ career competencies (i.e. career reflection, career exploration and networking). Questionnaires on students’ perceptions of the career guidance of their teachers during career conversations, and students’ career competencies were issued to 579 vocational education students. By using multilevel analyses, the relationship between different career guidance styles of vocational education teachers and students’ career competencies was investigated, while controlling for student variables such as locus of control and career decision-making self-efficacy. The results showed that very little variance could be explained at the teacher level. Most of the differences between students’ career competency levels were related to differences between the students. Still, two of the four existing teacher profiles were positively related to career reflection of students.

Relationships among work-family supportive supervisors, career competencies, and job involvement

This study aims to explore the relationships among work-family supportive supervisors, career competencies, job involvement, and job satisfaction. Data were collected from a sample of 1012 hotel employees working in the frontline of the hospitality industry in China. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to estimate the relationships among the constructs. The findings indicate a positive relationship between work-family supportive supervisors and career competencies. Career competencies contribute positively to job involvement and job satisfaction. This study provides insights into how managers of human resources can retain qualified staff and increase the job satisfaction of employees.

Is ‘Meaningfulness’ a General Mediating Factor? The Salutogenic Revolution of Question-Setting in Health Science and Occupational Psychology

According to our earlier researches – stating that on the one hand in the career competency of the examined subjects, out of the Core Job Dimensions present in the Hackman-oldham Job Char acteristic Model, only Meaningfulness (task significance) contributed significantly to inducing favourable Personal and Work outcomes, and on the other hand, among the components of the Sense of Coherence, portrayed as a health and well-being factor in Antonovsky’s Salutogenic Model, it was Meaningfulness that had a preeminent role – we asked the question: to what extent can this positive effect of Meaningfulness be further generalized? That is, regarding women in Hungary who choose a healthcare career, whether Meaningfulness felt within their job motivates them with a significant enough force to be a counter-effective factor to job abandonment (especially frequent in Hungary), to persevere despite the difficult circumstances. From a methodical point of view, we completed a quasi-case study in the circle of 158 female students taking health care courses and 79 women working in healthcare for at least five years. As control groups we used the age- and sex-standardized random samples of non-healthcare students as well as workers. Here, Meaningfulness within the Sense of Coherence proved to be the significant factor for staying in the healthcare profession. Practical conclusion of the research: during the training in healthcare courses, an emphasis has to be laid upon developing the Sense of Meaningfulness in the person, by means of establishing life-career models, personal career design, and creating the chances of a healthier lifestyle.

Developing women's career competencies through an EMBA

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to report a qualitative study with British women managers, which explored the career competencies accrued from undertaking an Executive MBA (EMBA).Design/methodology/approachThe research drew on in‐depth interviews with a sample of 18 female alumni from three British business schools. Data were analyzed using NVivo 8.0. within the career‐competencies framework of Knowing‐how, Knowing‐why and Knowing‐whom.FindingsWomen aged between 30 and 34 years emphasized the importance of gaining confidence (Knowing‐why) and skills (Knowing‐how) while those aged between 35 and 45 years focused on developing networks (Knowing‐whom). This study suggests that age and career stage may have considerable impact on perceptions of acquired career competencies.Research limitations/implicationsThis is an exploratory piece with limited generalisability; however, it exposes the need to clarify the concept of career stage for women.Practical implicationsBusiness schools have historically stressed the career benefits of MBA programmes in terms of improved capital and of changing career directions. This research indicates that an EMBA may offer a more level playing field for women with respect to networking activities. In the competitive global environment, business schools may benefit from more fully exploring career competencies, such as networking skills, for increasing the appeal of EMBA programmes. The paper also draws attention to the need for HR managers to increase efforts for improving women's career competencies.Originality/valueFindings extend previous research on the development of career competencies from an EMBA, indicating the importance of developing networks, particularly at mid‐career. The paper highlights the need to redefine women's mid‐career stage.

Learning for now or later? Career competencies among students in higher vocational education in the Netherlands

This article focuses on the question: which aspects of a learning environment, aimed at fostering career learning, correspond with the development of career competencies among university students in the Netherlands? A questionnaire-based study was carried out among 4820 students and 371 career counsellors in 11 universities. Four career competencies were identified: career reflection (reflective behaviour), work exploration (exploring behaviour), career action (proactive behaviour) and networking (interactive behaviour). The results show that the existence of these competencies among students in higher vocational education correlates with a learning environment that is characterized by a practice-based and inquiry-based curriculum, which offers students the opportunity to engage in a career dialogue. The existence of a career dialogue, in which students can discuss the personal and societal relevance of the real-life problems they encounter, and the experiences they have, proves to be essential. Without a dialogue the learning potential of a practice- and inquiry-based curriculum is limited.

Gyvenimo įgūdžių ugdymo ir ugdymo karjerai sąsaja: bendrojo lavinimo kontekstas

Profesorė daktarė, Mykolo Romerio universiteto Socialinės politikos fakultetoSocialinio darbo katedraAteities g. 20, LT-08303 Vilnius. Tel. (8 5) 271 4716El. paštas: vida.gudzinskiene@mruni.euDaktarė, Mykolo Romerio universiteto Socialinės politikos fakultetoSocialinio darbo katedraAteities g. 20, LT-08303 Vilnius. Tel. (8 5) 271 4716El. paštas: asta.railiene@mruni.euStraipsnyje analizuojama gyvenimo įgūdžių ugdymo ir ugdymo karjerai sąsaja bendrojo lavinimo mokyklos kontekste. Analizė atliekama remiantis ugdymo realybės nagrinėjimo principais ir ugdymo lygmenų teorija bei jos taikymu konkrečių ugdymo reiškinių analizei. Straipsnyje pateikiama gyvenimo įgūdžių ir ugdymo karjerai sampratos analizė, apibūdinamos karjeros kompetencijos, analizuojama gyvenimo įgūdžių ugdymo ir ugdymo karjerai sąsajos ypatumai ir ugdymo prielaidos bendrojo lavinimo mokyklose.

Career Coaching Across the Curriculum: Enhancing the Career Competencies of the 21st Century Learner

This article examines the effectiveness of a pilot project offered by members of the Faculty of Education at the University of Lethbridge entitled, ―Career Coaching Across the Curriculum: Integrating Career Development into Classroom Instruction‖. It explores whether this pilot project effectively prepares pre-service teachers to integrate career education into curriculum. It also explores whether this pilot project contributes to the attainment of important career development competencies for students in the Kindergarten-Grade 12 educational system.

Analysis of career competency of food and beverage managers in international tourist hotels in Taiwan

The purpose of this study is to establish indicators of career competencies of food and beverage managers in international tourist hotels in Taiwan. Panel discussions and the Delphi technique were adopted. Two panel discussions were conducted with a total of 11 industry experts and seven academic experts. The framework of career competencies was established based on these experts’ opinions. Delphi questionnaires were sent to 23 experts 13 in the hospitality industry and ten academic experts to collect data. By using such questionnaire twice, the 23 panelists reached a stable consensus. The results indicate career competencies include two categories: (1) career planning and development, and (2) core employability. The data demonstrated that the core employability competency was slightly more important for an individual's career development than the career development and planning competency.