It's All About CareerSKILLS: Effectiveness of a Career Development Intervention for Young Employees

• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.21633
• Author: Veerle Brenninkmeijer,Roland W. B. Blonk,Wilmar B. Schaufeli,Jos Akkermans
• Date: 01 July 2015
• Published date: 01 July 2015

Human Resource Management, July–August 2015, Vol. 54, No. 4. Pp. 533–551

© 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com).

DOI:10.1002/hrm.21633

Correspondence to: Jos Akkermans, VU University Amsterdam, Faculty of Economics and Business Administra-

tion, Department of Management and Organization, De Boelelaan 1105, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands,

E-mail: j.akkermans@vu.nl.

Temporary jobs have become more promi-

nent in all labor market sectors ranging

from construction to scientific research. As

a consequence, careers are also becoming

more dynamic, and employees need to keep

up with a growing number of changes in

work and working organizations. Moreover,

employees are increasingly expected to

take their own responsibility for managing

their career (Segers & Inceoglu, 2012; Vuori,

IT’S ALL ABOUT CAREERSKILLS:

EFFECTIVENESS OF A CAREER

DEVELOPMENT INTERVENTION

FOR YOUNG EMPLOYEES

JOS AKKERMANS, VEERLE BRENNINKMEIJER,

WILMAR B. SCHAUFELI, AND ROLAND W. B. BLONK

The aim of our study was to investigate the effectiveness of the CareerSKILLS

program, a career development intervention based on career competencies

and the JOBS methodology, which aims to stimulate career self-management

and well-being of young employees. In a quasi-randomized control trial, the ef-

fects of the program were tested in a homogeneous sample of young employ-

ees with intermediate vocational education (Nintervention = 112, Nnon-intervention=61)

and in a heterogeneous sample of employees from a special reintegration

program (Nintervention = 71, Nnon-intervention = 41). Our results support the effective-

ness of the intervention: participants of the CareerSKILLS program, versus

a control group, showed increases in six career competencies (refl ection of

motivation, refl ection on qualities, networking, self-profi ling, work explo-

ration, and career control), self-effi cacy, resilience against setbacks, career-

related behaviors, perceived employability, and work engagement. These

results provide empirical support for the effectiveness of the CareerSKILLS

program. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. © 2014Wiley

Periodicals, Inc.

Keywords: career development, career competencies, quasi-randomized

control trial, work engagement, perceived employability, young employees

In the past few decades, several changes

have taken place in the labor markets

of Western countries. Labor has become

more knowledge based and service ori-

ented and employee well-being and

career development are becoming increas-

ingly important (Diener & Seligman, 2004;

Nieuwenhuis, Coenen, Fouarge, Harms, &

Oosterling, 2012). In addition, the labor

market has become much more flexible.

534 HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, JULY–AUGUST 2015

Human Resource Management DOI: 10.1002/hrm

Faced with these

challenges,

employees need

to seek career

opportunities

proactively within

as well as outside

of their current

organization.

Therefore, gaining

resources and

competencies

to successfully

manage one’s career

is essential.

an alarming 28 percent unemployment rate

of young employees in Europe (European

Commission, 2012).

All these indicators emphasize the impor-

tance of research on the role of career compe-

tencies in the career development of young

workers. To study the role of career compe-

tencies, a number of steps need to be taken.

The first would be to examine what compe-

tencies are important and how to assess these

competencies. In a recent study, Akkermans,

Brenninkmeijer, Huibers, and Blonk (2013)

developed a model and assessment instrument

of career competencies. The authors showed

that career competencies can be reliably and

validly measured. A second step in studying

the role of career competencies would be to

investigate whether career competencies can

be enhanced by brief interventions.

This issue of career competencies and

career-related interventions may be especially

important for young employees with lower

levels of education. European labor market

studies show increasing differences between

educational groups concerning health, sick-

ness absence, and unemployment (European

Commission, 2012). In these studies, employ-

ees with lower educational levels report the

least favorable outcomes. In addition, educa-

tional and professional levels are polarizing in

the sense that more jobs are being created for

highly skilled workers, and wages are increas-

ing more among highly skilled workers

(European Commission, 2012). Research also

indicates that a lower educational level can

result in an extended job search for the first

job, and in lower job security (Nieuwenhuis

et al., 2012). In addition, lower-skilled jobs

are becoming ever more complex due to

increasing certificate and diploma demands,

an increasing emphasis on flexibility and

social skills, and the growing role of informa-

tion and communication technology (ICT)

(Nieuwenhuis etal., 2012). Therefore, in our

study we focused on young employees with

lower educational levels (i.e., fewer than 12

years of education, noncollege).

In this study, we tested the short-term

effectiveness of a brief intervention that

aims to stimulate career competencies and

work-related well-being of young employees.

Toppinen-Tanner, &Mutanen, 2011). Faced

with these challenges, employees need to

seek career opportunities proactively within

as well as outside of their current

organization. Therefore, gaining

resources and competencies to

successfully manage one’s career

is essential. For these reasons,

Vuori et al. (2011) argued that

more empirical studies are needed

that examine the effectiveness of

interventions supporting career

development. In line with Vuori

et al., Hall and Las Heras (2010)

emphasized that these interven-

tions may also include so-called

“smart jobs”—jobs that are de-

signed in such a way that they

may facilitate both employee

well-being and career develop-

ment. In this study we empiri-

cally tested a career development

intervention and focused on its

effects on career competencies

and work- related well-being of

young workers.

Thus far, research on employee

well-being and career develop-

ment has focused mainly on adult,

more experienced employees

(e.g., Buyens, Van Dijk, Dewilde,

& De Vos, 2009). Relatively few studies have

solely focused on young employees. This

is a surprising result, in particular because

young employees encounter many career-

related activities in a brief period of time

that may have important consequences for

their future career, health, and well-being

(see Akkermans, Brenninkmeijer, Blonk, &

Koppes, 2009; Akkermans, Brenninkmeijer,

Van den Bossche, Blonk, & Schaufeli, 2013;

Elfering, Semmer, Tschan, Kälin, & Bucher,

2007). Besides finding a first occupation

and exploring possibilities for further pro-

fessional development, these also include

experiencing unsatisfactory employment,

work socialization, and underemployment

(Koivisto, Vuori, & Nykiri, 2007; Koivisto,

Vuori, & Vinokur, 2010). Moreover, young

employees have been hit hardest by the eco-

nomic crisis of the past few years, leading to