Career Engagement as Proactive Career Behavior: The Role of Core Self-Evaluation, Career Adaptability, and Negative Career Goal Feedback

Year 2025, Volume: 15 Issue: 76, 162 - 177, 31.03.2025

Kemal Öztemel , Elvan Yıldız Akyol

Abstract

Understanding the relationships between proactive personality traits and adaptive behaviours to new and unexpected situations and negative career-related feedback can enrich explanations for the development of proactive career behaviours. In this context, the current study examined the relationships and mediating mechanisms of cognitive flexibility and negative career goal feedback between core self-evaluations and career engagement, an indicator of proactive career behaviours. A total of 334 (264 female, 70 male) university students aged 18-25 years participated in the study. The study found that career engagement was positively associated with core self-evaluation and career adaptability, whereas it was negatively associated with negative career goal feedback. In addition, based on the parallel multiple mediator model analysis, career adaptability and negative career goal feedback played mediating roles between core self-evaluation and career engagement. The results suggest that negative career goal feedback serves as a risk factor, whereas career adaptability serves as a protective factor for career engagement. Interventions that reduce this risk factor and increase this protective factor may help university students to increase their career engagement.

Keywords

career engagement, core self-evaluation, career adaptability, negative career goal feedback, proactive career behaviors, mediator model testing, young adults

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