Elsevier

Journal of Vocational Behavior

Volume 87, April 2015, Pages 145-153
Journal of Vocational Behavior

Career identity and the complex mediating relationships between career preparatory actions and career progress markers

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2015.01.001Get rights and content

Highlights

  • Influencers and outcomes of career identity are rarely tested in a single study.

  • Career identity mediates the career preparation  career outcomes relationships.

  • Career calling strengthens (moderates) the mediation relationships.

  • Exploring, planning, and pursuing career dreams enhance career progress & wellness.

Abstract

We tested a cross-sectional, moderated-mediation model of career identity in young adults (N = 667, 72.9% female, mean age = 20 years). In this model, career preparatory activities (career exploration and planning) were associated with perceptions of future employability and career distress. These relationships were mediated by career identity, and career identity was conditional upon level of career calling. We found that career exploration was associated with more career distress, while career planning was associated with less, and both career exploration and planning were associated with higher perceived employability. Career identity mediated between career exploration and planning and both outcomes, and these mediated relationships were stronger when career calling was higher. We interpreted the results from career construction, identity, and exploration perspectives; highlighted the applicability of these perspectives in the development of agency, career calling, and career identity; and made recommendations for testing other theory-based moderators.

Section snippets

Career preparation and career identity

According to career construction theory (Savickas, 2002), the processes of career planning and exploration reflect critical, adaptive, and lifelong activities, which are activated especially during career transitions. They help individuals manage transitions and contribute to more functional career development and better psychosocial adjustment (Savickas, 1997, Skorikov and Vondracek, 2011, Zikic and Klehe, 2006). This is consistent with the broader and more inclusive career exploration

Career preparation, career identity, and career outcomes

Identity represents the central agency mechanism in career development. It is influenced by career preparation (i.e., exploration and planning; Stringer et al., 2011), and associated with various career-related and well-being outcomes (Skorikov & Vondracek, 2011). Fugate, Kinicki, and Ashforth (2004), for instance, argued that career identity was the major stimulus to perceptions of one's employability. Career identity (i.e., achievement) is also related to better reasoning about future career

Participants

The sample comprised 667 young adults (72.9% female; 3% did not report gender) recruited from the authors' university and an associated technical college in a large regional city on the east coast of Australia. The average age was 20.24 years (SD = 2.46). Participants were working (63.4%) or non-working (31%) university (87%) or technical college (5.5%) students, or working (2.4%) or unemployed (0.7%) non-students (2.5% did not report study/work information). They were enrolled in a wide range of

Results

Two analytical steps were taken. First, to assess hypotheses 1 to 5, we tested the measurement and predicted structural mediation models using latent variable analyses (i.e., structural equation modeling with maximum likelihood estimation in AMOS 22). Second, to test Hypothesis 6, we assessed the predicted moderator to this mediation model using conditional process analyses in PROCESS for SPSS (V2.13; Hayes, 2013, Hayes, in press).

Items were first parceled to form observed variables to

Discussion

We assessed a model that was informed by the three career developmental perspectives of career construction, career identity, and career exploration (Flum and Blustein, 2006, Savickas, 2002, Skorikov and Vondracek, 2011). The key mechanism in the model was career identity, which linked career exploration and planning to perceived employability and career distress. The effect of career calling was also assessed. Consistent with previous research, we found that young adults who engaged in more

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