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This paper seeks to unlock the career transitions of hospitality managers through applying Schein’s career anchors theory. It seeks to understand how Schein’s Career Anchors help explain the career transitions of managers in the Scottish hospitality industry.

The paper adopts a non-sequential multi-method design. All 22 hospitality managers who participated in the study completed an online version of Schein’s Career Anchors containing 40 items covering all eight career anchors. The career histories of participants were then gathered through use of a semi-structured interview. Comparisons were then drawn across the career anchor classification and the data on career transitions collected from participants.

The results highlight the continued relevance of Schein’s career anchors theory and indicate that Schein’s career anchors theory may constitute a useful tool for understanding hospitality managers’ career needs and engaging in meaningful career planning.

The study provides a useful insight into hospitality managers’ career motivations, and knowledge of career anchors will help hospitality organisations more effectively engage, recruit and retain hospitality managers.