The influence of part-time work on graduates' careers

• Published in: Higher education, skills and work-based learning Vol. 11; no. 5; pp. 1106 - 1115
• Main Authors: Evans, Carl, Vaughan, Ceri
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bingley Emerald Publishing Limited 19.10.2021; Emerald Group Publishing Limited
• Subjects: Business Administration Education; Career advancement; Career Development; Career development planning; Career Readiness; College Students; Competitive advantage; Decision making; Employers; Employment; Employment interviews; Extracurricular activities; Foreign Countries; Gender; Influence; Learning; Part Time Employment; Self awareness; Skill Development; Skills; Student Attitudes; Student Employment; University students; United Kingdom; United Kingdom > UK; University students; Part-time working; Graduate careers
• ISSN: 2042-3896; 2042-390X
• DOI: 10.1108/HESWBL-07-2020-0156

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore university students' perceptions about career development in relation to their part-time working and to examine whether students maximise opportunities arising in their part-time job in order to enhance their personal profile and career aspirations.Design/methodology/approachSemi-structured interviews were held with 20 degree students at a UK university. The interview was based around 19 questions, split into three sections: general; career and the part-time job.FindingsThe findings indicate that while students are aware that part-time work helps in developing personal skills, there is a lack of awareness on how part-time work can provide differentiation in the graduate jobs market and support long-term graduate careers. The conclusion discusses the implications of the findings suggesting greater awareness among students of how part-time work can drive work readiness and long-term career aspirations. It also recommends greater involvement of career advisors and university teaching colleagues in supporting this endeavour.Originality/valueWhile other papers on student working have included a small element regarding careers, this paper offers originality by focussing solely on the relationship between students' part-time work and career aspirations. Moreover, most works in this area have been quantitative studies, whereas this study is qualitatively-based.