Akkermans, J., Brenninkmeijer, V., & Blonk, R.W.B. Career competencies and CareerSKILLS. Paper presented at the bi-annual Unemployment, Job Insecurity and Health (UJIH) conference, November 2011, in Helsinki, Finland.

1. CAREER COMPETENCIES AND
CAREERSKILLS
UJIH Conference 2011
J. Akkermans
V. Brenninkmeijer
R.W.B. Blonk

2. PRESENTATION OVERVIEW
 Introduction
 Conceptualization of Career Competencies
 Career Competencies and CareerSKILLS
 Implications for research on Career Development and Job Insecurity

3. CAREER COMPETENCIES & DEVELOPMENT
Traditional careers: linear paths; vertical development in one organization
Contemporary careers: dynamic & flexible; vertical development through
horizontal shifts in organizations
 Career self-manament becomes increasingly important  employees need
to develop career competencies to:
- become and remain employable on the labor market
- reduce job insecurity
Arthur (1994); Eby et al. (2003)
Arthur et al. (1999); Arnold & Cohen (2008)

4. CONCEPTUALIZATION
Conceptualization based on interviews & literature review:
 Exploratory factor analysis (N=219) and focus groups to gain better
understanding of necessary career competencies.
 Confirmatory factor analysis (N=214) and validation study to confirm
conceptualization and framework.
Which career competencies are known from the literature and from practice?
Which of these are the most relevant for intermediately educated** young
employees?
** highest finished education = higher general secondary education, pre-university education, pre-vocational
education and/or intermediate vocational education

5. CONCEPTUALIZATION II
Boundaryless Career Perspective (e.g., Defillippi & Arthur, 1994)
Protean Career Perspective (e.g., Mirvis & Hall, 1994)
Career Self-Management (e.g., King, 2004; De Vos & Soens, 2008)
Kuijpers Perspective (e.g., Kuijpers, 2003; Kuijpers & Scheerens, 2006)

6. CONCEPTUALIZATION III
Three dimensions distilled from literature:
 Reflective Career Competencies
Reflection on personal motivations and skills
 Communicative Career Competencies
Interacting and demonstrating skills and knowledge
 Behavioral Career Competencies
Actively shaping one’s career (e.g. by setting goals)

7. CONCEPTUALIZATION IV
Reflection on
Motivation
Reflecting on values, passions, and motivations with regard to the personal career
Reflection on
Qualities
Reflecting on strengths, shortcomings, and skills with regard to the personal career
Networking The awareness of the presence and professional value of the individual network,
and the ability to expand this network for career-related purposes
Self-profiling Presenting and communicating the personal knowledge, abilities and skills to the
internal and external labor market
Work Exploration Actively exploring and searching for work-related and career-related opportunities
on the internal and external labor market
Career Control Actively influencing learning processes and work processes related to the personal
career by setting goals and planning how to fulfill them

8. CONCEPTUALIZATION V
2nd Order CFA Fit Indices: CFI = 0.95; TLI = 0.94;
RMSEA = 0.05

9. Career Competencies  CareerSKILLS group training course
 CareerSKILLS: new training in JOBS training methodology**
 Aims of CareerSKILLS training course:
 Increase career-related self-efficacy
 Increase problem solving ability
 Increase employability
 Reduce/prevent job insecurity
CAREERSKILLS TRAINING COURSE
**e.g. Vinokur, Schul, Vuori, & Price, 2000; Brenninkmeijer & Blonk, 2011

10.  4 days of 4 hours each
 1 more day after 1 month
 Based on JOBS methodology (JOBS, WorkSKILLS) which has been
empirically shown to be effective  using career competencies as basis
 Specifically focused on young employees or students with intermediate
vocational education (though it is assumed to be universally applicable
with some necessary adjustments)
 Certification for trainers through Train-the-Trainer program organized by
TNO
CAREERSKILLS TRAINING COURSE II

11.  Group training course: 8-16 participants; always 2 trainers/facilitators
 Unique methodology: focus on self-efficacy, problem solving ability, ability
to cope with obstacles (“inoculations against setbacks”)
 Participants are experts who help each other reach their goals. Trust the
process!
 Motto: “It is more important for participants to grow in their self-
confidence and their competency perceptions, than to do everything
correctly”
CAREERSKILLS TRAINING COURSE III

12. Study to examine effects of CareerSKILLS training course:
 Effect study is being performed in a large organization and a large regional
training school ( “ROC”)
 Desired N = 75-100 (+ additional control group)  approximately 50 in
each organization at this time
 Findings should come in soon!
CAREERSKILLS TRAINING COURSE IV

13. QUESTIONS?
E-mail: t.j.akkermans@uu.nl