Bridging the Graduate Transition: The Role of Perceived Employability, Career Decision-Making, and Job Search Behavior among University Students

Abstract

This study aimed to 1) assess the perceived employability of university students, focusing on their skills and abilities awareness, job market knowledge, and perceived university support, 2) examine the career decision-making capabilities of university students, including their career clarity, goal-setting behavior, decision-making confidence, and use of resources, and 3) analyze the job search behavior of university students, particularly their proactive search activities, networking efforts, and utilization of career services and events. The study focused on how university students perceive employability, career decision-making, and job search behavior by using a descriptive survey research design. The study was cross-sectional and quantitative in nature. Three questionnaires were developed on employability, career decision making as well as job search behavior which were used to collect data from a sample of 300 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in the public-sector universities of Punjab, Pakistan. Descriptive findings revealed that the general levels of perceived employability were moderately high among the students and this was especially true when it came to university support, academic preparation, and knowledge of employer expectations. Career decision-making capability was also seen among students of high performance particularly in being confident in making informed decisions, career planning and dealing with career uncertainties. On the same note, the engagement levels of students regarding job search activities were moderate to high in terms of networking, using online job portals, participating in career events and utilizing university career services. In general, the descriptive results indicated that the students were quite an active group in terms of career-related planning and job seeking, though they required some work on long-term career goal setting, personal skills confidence, and regular job search record keeping.