IMPACT OF JOB SEARCH STRATEGIES ON JOB SEARCH OUTCOMES THE ROLE OF CAREER PLANNING ATTITUDES AND SOCIAL SUPPORT

Abstract

newline In present day India, repeated concerns are raised over elevating youth unemployment rate and declining employability levels of educated youth (ILO, 2016; ASSOCHAM, 2016). An extensive body of literature in the vocation behavior domain focuses on the significance of career planning and career decision-making in fostering a successful job search process. As work is an integral part of people s lives, how one goes about searching for employment has a vital role to play in determining work-related outcomes such as satisfaction with the employment obtained. In this regard, understanding the factors that influence career choices and job search processes is of high significance in emerging economies like India, where a large young population awaits to join the workforce. Career planning helps individuals in identifying their employment goals by becoming aware about oneself, opportunities, alternatives, and outcomes and design an action plan to achieve the same. Lack of career planning, on the other hand, leads to career indecisiveness and decreased employability. Clarity of employment goals or career decisiveness plays an imperative role in ensuring a successful job search process which in turn leads to fulfilling employment outcomes. Job search behavior i.e. the frequency and methods of involving in job search process are also influenced by the external factors, such as shifts in the labor market conditions, financial need, and receipt of social support during job search process. newlineRecently, focus on quality of job search outcomes has drawn scholarly attention due to the ill-effects of job and occupational mismatch. If the job obtained is not perceived to be a good match for the job incumbent, it leads to stress, depression, discontent, job burnout, reduced productivity, absenteeism, and turnover intention.