Sarah Vansteenkiste

Flexible job search behaviour among unemployed jobseekers: antecedents and outcomes

The interest in flexible job search behaviour (FJSB) among unemployed jobseekers, i.e., the extent to which jobseekers also look for jobs that deviate from their studies and earlier work experience, has grown considerably in recent years. Yet, there is large disagreement on both its consequences and drivers. Career scholars as well as policymakers believe that FJSB is important for unemployed and can improve their employment prospects. However, evidence from human resource (HR) literature raises doubts whether FJSB can enhance re-employment success. Similarly, whereas the career literature links FJSB to positive attitudes, such as career adaptability, the HR literature suggests that people searching flexibly may feel pushed into this behaviour due to more negative reasons, like few labour market perspectives. The aim of this study is examining these opposing expectations. We focus on three FJSB types: flexibility with respect to pay/hierarchical level, skill use and commuting time. Hypotheses are tested using two-wave data with 672 unemployed. Results indicate, among others, that career-adaptable people are not inclined to search more flexibly. In addition, FJSB may in certain cases hamper people’s re-employment likelihood. People searching more flexibly also more often became underemployed and as such experienced a more negative job quality.

When and Why Are Internal Job Transitions Successful? Transition Challenges, Hindrances, and Resources Influencing Motivation and Retention Through Basic Needs Satisfaction:

This study examines when and why internal job transitions enhance employees’ motivation and retention. Building on the Challenge–Hindrance Framework and the Self-Determination Theory, we hypothesize that transition challenges (i.e., horizontal and vertical transition magnitude) satisfy people’s basic psychological needs and may therefore enhance motivation and retention, whereas transition hindrances (i.e., increased work–life conflict) thwart basic needs satisfaction and are accordingly likely to decrease motivation and retention. In addition, we argue that transition resources (i.e., social support and personal control) may boost the impact of transition challenges and buffer the impact of transition hindrances. Hypotheses were tested with 173 employees who recently made an internal transition. We found support for the positive impact of vertical transition magnitude and the negative impact of increased work–life conflict on motivation and retention through an impact on basic needs satisfaction. In addition, social support was found to boost the former path. No other moderation effects were found. Implications of the results are discussed.

Psychological mobility during unemployment: an outplacement study

To date, little is known about the value of psychological mobility for unemployed job seekers. In this study, we examined a specific set of antecedents (career competences) and outcomes (perceived employability) of two aspects of psychological mobility (boundaryless mindset and organizational mobility preference) among 306 unemployed job seekers participating in outplacement counseling. We found that in this specific population, psychological mobility was only to a certain extent related to self-perceived employability. Furthermore, boundaryless mindset appeared to have little impact at all, which is an unexpected result when we compare our findings to those of earlier studies done in working populations. Another remarkable finding was the lack of a relationship between self-awareness – generally considered to be an important career competence – and psychological mobility. Perhaps self-awareness relates first and foremost to people’s readiness to be mobile, or to their capability to handle changes, rather than to their mobility preferences. Further research into the role of self-awareness in how psychological mobility shapes sustainable careers seems warranted. Overall, our findings imply that the relationship between psychological mobility and career outcomes may be markedly different for different groups in the labor market.