Career Counseling Practitioners Research Articles

Signaling standout graduate employability: The employer perspective

AbstractThis study examines employers' graduate employability expectations. In an overcrowded graduate labour market, employers must distinguish between equally qualified graduates to determine ‘standout employability’. Grounded in a dramaturgical perspective, we integrate concepts of skilful social action with signaling theory to extend the processual conceptualization of graduate employability. We report a qualitative abductive analysis of employers' expectations of graduates' employability performances. We theorise that employers frame and decode signals of standout employability from graduates' narrations of experientially referenced skilful social action. These form the dramaturgical backdrop from which employers infer unique personal brand assets and qualities they associate with standout employability. Our analysis has important implications for higher education (HE), human resource management and career counselling practitioners. It indicates that the employability value of non‐HE experience is as a backdrop for the dramaturgical performance of graduate employability rather than for the acquisition of work‐related skills or the enablement of work ready behaviours.

Online Career Guidance: Does Knowledge Equate to Power for High School Students?

The provision of online career information and guidance is becoming more popular among career counselling practitioners and policy makers targeting the postschool transitions of youth. Internet-based career exploration and guidance systems provide convenience and economy to both individuals confronted with career decision making as well as those assisting them in the process. However, the usefulness of these systems in improving the career uncertainty of young people is under-researched. This article presents the results of a cross-sectional survey conducted with high school students in Years 9–12 (N= 706) from 12 schools in New South Wales, Australia. Analyses reveal that: the majority of students are unaware of the online career guidance services targeted towards them; the personal characteristics, school type, and sector of participants differed between websites recalled; and that there are no significant relations between listed web resources and students’ career certainty. The article concludes with implications for career counselling practitioners and policy makers.

College experiences and career barriers among semi-professional student-athletes

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how the levels of athletic identity influenced the relationships among college experiences, career self-efficacy, and the career barriers faced by semi-professional student-athletes in Taiwan. Design/methodology/approach Survey data of athletic identity, college experiences (involvement in social, academic, career orientation activities, etc.), career self-efficacy, and career barriers (inherent difficulties in career exploration in a dual student-professional role) were collected from 345 varsity student-athletes in Taiwan sport universities. The conditional process analysis was conducted to test whether the mediating role of career self-efficacy in the association between college experiences and career barriers was dependent on athletic identity levels. Findings The results indicated that enriching college experiences contributed to fewer barriers regarding career exploration post graduation through high levels of career self-efficacy. Particularly for assorted and social experiences, the indirect effect reduced as the levels of athletic identity increased. Practical implications These findings may be applied to athletes who pursue early specialization and students who engage heavily in a specific sport or other co-curricular activities while neglecting the importance of scholastic learning and career exploration. Career counseling practitioners and sport psychologists are advised to take account of athletic identity and contextual specificity while providing career interventions to student-athletes. Originality/value This study extends the understanding of the impacts of athletic identity on college student-athletes’ career explorations within a specific sport context.

Different Forms of Relationships Between Vocational Interests and Career Maturity in Chinese Context

This study explores the relationships between vocational interests and career maturity in the context of China. We tentatively hypothesize that realistic, conventional, and artistic interests have negative linear relationships with career maturity, whereas investigative, social, and enterprising interests have positive but curvilinear relationships with career maturity. Analyses of the data collected from 5,474 participants provide support for most of the hypotheses. Specifically, the results demonstrate negative relationships of realistic and conventional interests with career maturity, a U-shaped relationship of artistic interest with career maturity, and concave upward curve relationships of investigative, social, and enterprising interests with career maturity. These findings add to the literature on vocational interests and provide practical suggestions for individuals and career counseling practitioners.

Validation of a Multivariate Career and Educational Counseling Intervention Model Using Long‐Term Follow‐Up

In this study, the author sought to validate the effectiveness of a multivariate career and educational counseling intervention model through long‐term follow‐up of clients seen in private practice. Effectiveness was measured by clients' commitment to and enjoyment of their chosen career paths and the relationship of these factors to adherence to program recommendations. Findings indicated that 65% of clients adhered to program recommendations. Those who adhered to program recommendations were significantly more committed to their careers; however, no significant difference was found in clients' enjoyment of their careers. Additionally, 85% of clients reported that the program met their needs, and 95% would recommend the program.

Extending the Use of Constructivist Approaches in Career Guidance and Counselling: Solutionfocused Strategies

This article focuses on the use of constructivist approaches by career counsellors. A three phase solution-focused model is presented that will enable career counselling practitioners to use brief, positively oriented strategies in an integrated manner with their clients. In addition, possible ways counsellors might integrate systems thinking in solution-focused career counselling are described. The adoption of such strategies by career practitioners is most relevant when working with the complex issues brought by career clients, many of whom attend only one counselling session.

Career Counseling Practitioners: Reflections on Theory, Research, and Practice

Career counseling practitioners of varied training levels were surveyed regarding the extent to which major career theories and research data inform their work with clients. In addition, this study was interested in career counselors views regarding (a) how career theorists, researchers, and practitioners can work together to address the needs of career clients, and (b) how theory and research findings can be more relevant to practice. Survey findings revealed that licensed counselors and psychologists as compared to non-counselor trained career practitioners agreed to a greater extent that their degree program had adequately prepared them to provide career counseling by emphasizing theory and attention to personal and career issues, and were more likely to regard professional development activities as important to their career counseling effectiveness. Finally, practitioners had numerous comments regarding the utility of career theory and interventions, and suggestions for bridging the gap between theory and practice.

Selecting Career Outcome Assessments: An Organizational Scheme

Increased demands for accountability information have resulted in many career counseling practitioners and researchers seeking sound methods for measuring the effectiveness of career counseling and interventions. This article proposes a conceptual framework designed to assist individuals in systematically selecting multiple career outcome measures. This classification scheme is based on psychotherapy outcome schemes and career counseling research. In addition to presenting the organizational scheme for selecting career outcome assessments, the author provides an example of using the scheme to select instruments to evaluate a career counseling group offered in a university counseling center.