I doubt very seriously whether anyone will hire me; factors predicting employability perceptions in higher education

Abstract

Understanding what makes people feel employable is enhanced by studying both the structural and individual dimensions of human behaviour. This paper examines the relative impact of three variables on perceptions of the employability of students in Higher Education (18–25); the way in which students think about themselves (mindset), their ability to overcome adversity (resilience) and the relationships and values that govern their interactions (social capital). It is reported that perceptions of employability are predicted largely by two subscales of the CD-RISC scale; “support” (p < .01, ηp2 = .07) and, “goal orientation” (p < .01 ηp2 = .29) and social capital “bridging” (P < .01, ηp2 = .05). Whilst mindset had no direct effect on perceived employability, both the fixed and growth mindsets have significant roles to play in personal resilience. We argue that contrary to previous findings, having a fixed mindset possibly supports the building of self-trust, self-respect and an acceptance of why you may be different from others. Results suggest that developing goal-oriented attitudes in students will support stronger beliefs about the extent to which they are employable.

Keywords

• goal orientation
• career development
• emotional development
• self-concept
• training and development