Defining and measuring career resilience

Abstract

Various authors have argued that career resilience should be cultivated by individuals pursuing modern day careers as a critical career competency. No study has been reported thus far in the career management literature which offers a comprehensive measuring instrument for the construct. The focal point of this study was therefore the development of an instrument to operationalise the career resilience construct. Based on a review of the literature/ the "Career Resilience Questionnaire" (CRQ) consisting of 60 items was developed and administered to respondents (N=352) in white-collar employment settings. A second-order factor analysis yielded four factors which seemed to be relatively independent. The factors were named "belief in oneself"/ "disregard for traditional sources of career success", "selfreliance" and "receptivity to change". The implications of the findings are discussed. Opsomming Verskeie outeurs het reeds daarop gewys dat loopbaangehardheid as 'n kritiese bevoegdheid ontwikkel behoort te word in die hedendaagse loopbaankonteks. In geen studie in die loopbaanbestuuriiteratuur tot dusver is 'n omvattende instrument vir die meting van die konstruk gerapporteer nie. Die fokus van hierdie studie was dus die ontwikkeling van 'n instrument om die konstruk loopbaangehardheid te operasionaliseer. Na 'n oorsig van die literatuur is die "Career Resilience Questionnaire" (CRQ) bestaande uit 60 items, gekonstrueer en afgeneem op 'n steekproef (N=352) in witboordjie-werksomgewings. 'n Tweedeordefaktorontleding het vier faktore opgelewer wat skynbaar relatief onafhanklike faktore is. Hierdie faktore is "geloof in self", "onderbeklemtoning van tradisionele bronne van loopbaansukses", "selfgenoegsaamheid" en "ontvanklikheid vir verandering". Die implikasies van die bevindinge word bespreek.

Keywords

• Career resilience