Emotional Barriers to Job Search Success: Job Search Anxiety during University-to-Work Transitions

No abstract available

Configurational Effects of Pre-Recession High Performance Work Practices on Post-Recession Performance in the UK Service Sector

This developmental paper examines the role of skills-based contingencies in the UK service sector (i.e., the service sector segment within which the organisation operates and workforce differentiation within organisations) that may influence pre-recession adoption of High Performance Work Practices (HPWPs) and the extent to which different bundles of HPWPs improve post-recession organisational performance over time. The study is informed by the Workplace Employment Relations Surveys (WERS), which provides panel data from 812 UK service sector organisations. Preliminary findings show that ability- and motivation-enhancing practices are of particular importance for improving service quality for organisations that rely on low-skilled work. The study highlights the role of skills-based contingencies that are relevant for skills demand and utilisation in the service sector as significant precursors of HPWP adoption

What can human resource management tell us about sustainable youth employment?

Belgin is a Senior Lecturer in Human Resource Management at the Adam Smith Business School, University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK. She has trained as a psychologist and specialised in industrial/organizational psychology in her master’s degree. Belgin’s doctoral research was in a business school context and examined job quality, employability and career mobility in contemporary graduate labour markets. Belgin is an Academic Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development, youth employment lead at the European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology (EAWOP) Impact Incubator, and Committee Co-Chair at the Academy of Management Teaching and Learning Conference. Her current research interests centre on career development, skills use and development, employability, job search and well-being, with a particular focus on young people. Following guest editing the Special Issue on Young people’s work, employment and careers, Belgin has recently joined the editorial team of InPractice. This research spotlight aims to introduce Belgin’s current conceptual work in progress on youth employment

Focused for some, exploratory for others: job search strategies and successful university-to-work transitions in the context of labour market ambiguity

This article examines the role of student job search strategies that differ in goal-directedness (focused, exploratory and haphazard) in achieving successful university-to-work transitions (i.e., employment in jobs with high skill use/development and qualification-job match). The relationship between job search and employment outcomes is considered in two labour market contexts - high or low ambiguity – which are represented by the comparison between arts, humanities, and social sciences (AHSS) and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) graduates, respectively. Using two-wave survey data, we find that job search strategies during university do not explain, yet differentially impact, successful outcomes one year after graduation. Fully exploring opportunities was particularly beneficial for STEM graduates (low ambiguity context) and more focused job search was beneficial for AHSS graduates (high ambiguity context). Paradoxically, findings both question and reinforce the efficacy of career agency for overcoming barriers to labour market entry, depending on the job search context. The study contributes to the agency and context debates relevant for school-to-work transitions

Young workers’ job satisfaction in Europe

No abstract available

Disentangling the Impact of Social Disadvantage on ‘Becoming Employable’: Evidence from STEM Student University-to-Work Transitions

This article aims to examine alternative explanations of social disadvantage on the university-to-work transition experiences of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) students. ‘Becoming employable’ during the university-to-work transition is reflected in three ways: students’ cognition/patterns of thinking (i.e., perceived employability); affect/emotion (i.e., anxiety); and career-related behaviour (i.e., job search and networking). To understand how social disadvantage affects ‘becoming employable’, we examine three potential explanations: students’ social background, type of higher education institution attended and individual financial strain. A cross-sectional survey design targeted at final year students in two UK Higher Education Institutions provided 288 survey responses. Findings show support for an institutional explanation to ‘becoming employable’. The study contributes to our understanding of social disadvantage during preparation for labour market entry and the ‘employable graduate’ identity construction process. Practical recommendations focus on alleviating some of the pressures on socially disadvantaged student

Sustainable human resource management and job satisfaction— unlocking the power of organizational identification: A cross-cultural perspective from 54 countries

Sustainable human resource management is gaining importance in organizations due to its role in developing a sustainable work environment and well-being. This paper discusses the relationship between employee perceptions of sustainable human resource management and job satisfaction in 54 countries. We propose that sustainable HRM is positively associated with job satisfaction but that this relationship is moderated by employees’ identification with the organization and country-level individualism-collectivism. Thus, we suggest national culture functions as a second-level moderator of the relationship of sustainable HRM with organizational identification on job satisfaction. Findings from the multi-level analyses using data from 14,502 employees nested within 54 countries provided support for our hypotheses, namely that employee perceptions of sustainable HRM were positively associated with job satisfaction and that this relationship was more pronounced for employees with lower levels compared to higher levels of organizational identification in individualistic rather than collectivistic countries. These findings bear important implications for both theory and practice

Coping with career boundaries and boundary-crossing in the graduate labour market

Purpose: This article explores the nature and role of career boundaries for enabling/constraining career self-management for occupational boundary-crossing in the UK graduate labour market. Methodology: The data is provided by career history interviews with 36 UK graduates. The analysis contrasts transitions for those who started careers in low- intermediate- and high-skilled segments of the labour market. Findings: Availability of development and progression opportunities were the most prominent career boundary experienced. Ease of boundary-crossing differed by career stage and educational background. Boundaries enabled career self-management by acting as psychological/external push factors, but push factors only aided progression to high-skilled segments for a third of graduates who started careers in underemployment. For the rest, an adaptation of expectations to labour market realities was observed. Research limitations/implications: Although career history interviews limit generalisability, they contextualise boundaries and deepen understanding of career actors’ subjective experiences and responses. Practical implications: The study highlights the role of labour market and demand-side constraints for career transitions as well as proactive career behaviours. This has implications for career counsellors, employers and individuals. Originality/value: This article provides a distinctive ‘boundary-focused’ analysis of emerging career boundaries in the graduate labour market. The findings point to the intricate interplay between structure and agency for career development

Graduate recruitment

Thoroughly revised and updated to include contemporary terms that have gained importance such as furlough, unconscious bias, platform work, and Great Resignation, this second edition of the Encyclopedia of Human Resource Management is an authoritative and comprehensive reference resource comprising almost 400 entries on core HR areas and concepts