Career adaptability and perceived overqualification: Testing a dual-path model among Chinese human resource management professionals

Based on career construction theory, the current research examined the relationship between career adaptability and perceived overqualification among a sample of Chinese human resource management professionals (N = 220). The results of a survey study showed that career adaptability predicted perceived overqualification through a dual-path model: On the one hand, career adaptability positively predicted employees' perceived delegation, which had a subsequent negative effect on perceived overqualification. At the same time, career adaptability also positively predicted career anchor in challenge, which in turn positively predicted overqualification. This dual-path mediation model provides a novel perspective to understand the mechanisms through which career adaptability affects perceived overqualification, and demonstrates the coexistence of opposite effects in this process. In addition, the results also showed that the effects of perceived delegation and career anchor in challenge on perceived overqualification were stronger among employees with a higher (vs. lower) level of organizational tenure. These findings carry implications for both career development theories and organizational management practices

Examining a Sequential Mediation Model of Chinese University Students’ Well-Being: A Career Construction Perspective

Despite career construction theory attends to individual subjective career and provides a useful lens to study well-being, extant research has yielded limited insights into the mechanisms through which career construction variables influence individual well-being. To address this important gap, the present study examined a mediation model that links indicators of career adaptivity (big-five personality and approach/avoidance traits) to psychological well-being (psychological flourishing and life satisfaction) through career adaptability and in sequent meaning of life (presence of life meaning and search for life meaning) among a sample of Chinese university students (N = 165). The results of a two-wave survey study showed that career adaptability and presence of life meaning mediated the effects of openness to experience, consciousness, approach trait, and avoidance trait on individual well-being in sequence. The results also showed that approach trait’s effect on presence of meaning was partially mediated by career adaptability; career adaptability’s effect on psychological flourishing was partially mediated by presence of meaning. These findings advance understanding of antecedents to individual well-being from a career construction perspective, and carry implications for career education and counseling practices

A relational model of career adaptability and career prospects:The roles of leader–member exchange and agreeableness

Drawing on career construction theory and leader–member exchange (LMX) theory, this research examined the mediating role of LMX in explaining the effect of employee career adaptability on career prospects, as well as the moderating role of agreeableness in this process. Two field studies were conducted among Chinese employees and their supervisors to test this model. In study 1, time-lagged multisource data were collected from 252 employees and 69 supervisors. The results showed that supervisor-rated LMX (Time 2) mediated the relationship between employee-rated career adaptability (Time 1) and supervisor-rated career prospects (Time 2). In study 2, a cross-lagged panel study among 149 employees and 47 supervisors across 4 months replicated the mediating effect of LMX for the relationship between career adaptability and career prospects. Results of study 2 also showed that LMX (Time 1, supervisor-rated) did not significantly predict career adaptability (Time 2, employee-rated), providing support for the unidirectional relationship from career adaptability to LMX in this context. The moderating role of agreeableness was supported such that the effect of career adaptability on LMX, as well as the indirect effect of career adaptability on career prospects via LMX, was stronger among employees with a higher level of agreeableness. We discussed the theoretical and practical implications of these findings and offered directions for future research

A relational model of career adaptability and career prospects:The roles of leader–member exchange and agreeableness

Drawing on career construction theory and leader–member exchange (LMX) theory, this research examined the mediating role of LMX in explaining the effect of employee career adaptability on career prospects, as well as the moderating role of agreeableness in this process. Two field studies were conducted among Chinese employees and their supervisors to test this model. In study 1, time-lagged multisource data were collected from 252 employees and 69 supervisors. The results showed that supervisor-rated LMX (Time 2) mediated the relationship between employee-rated career adaptability (Time 1) and supervisor-rated career prospects (Time 2). In study 2, a cross-lagged panel study among 149 employees and 47 supervisors across 4 months replicated the mediating effect of LMX for the relationship between career adaptability and career prospects. Results of study 2 also showed that LMX (Time 1, supervisor-rated) did not significantly predict career adaptability (Time 2, employee-rated), providing support for the unidirectional relationship from career adaptability to LMX in this context. The moderating role of agreeableness was supported such that the effect of career adaptability on LMX, as well as the indirect effect of career adaptability on career prospects via LMX, was stronger among employees with a higher level of agreeableness. We discussed the theoretical and practical implications of these findings and offered directions for future research

Career adaptability, calling and the professional competence of social work students in China: A career construction perspective

Based on career construction theory, the current research examined individual and contextual predictors for the professional competence of Chinese undergraduates majoring in social work (N = 270). Results showed that career concern and career curiosity predicted social work students' professional competence, with these relations mediated by the calling in social work. It was also found that the positive effect of calling on professional competence was stronger among students who perceived a lower level of career-oriented learning environment. The corresponding moderated mediation model was supported such that the indirect effects of career concern and career curiosity on professional competence were stronger among students who perceived a lower level of career-oriented learning environment. These findings carry implications for research on career construction theory, as well as career education and career counseling practices