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The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impact on student work readiness outcomes of collaboration with employers in developing and delivering tailored graduate employability workshops in socio-emotional skills for work (SES4Work).

Framed by the CareerEDGE model of graduate employability, the authors piloted a five-session module for near graduates in five disciplines. The research included an online employer survey (n = 128), employer interviews (n = 21) and tailored workshops for near graduates, culminating in a mock competency-based interview. Using a pre/post-test design, participants (n = 24) also completed the CareerEDGE Employability Development Profile (EDP) and the Trait Emotional Intelligence questionnaire (TEIque).

After completing the module, there was a statistically significant improvement in participant scores on the CareerEDGE EDP +12.3%, p < 0.001, effect size (Cohen's d) 0.89, large, and the TEIque +6.4%, p = 0.009, effect size (Cohen's d) 0.61, moderate. Furthermore, 70% (n = 17) of participants were “hired” based on their mock interviews, with 12% (n = 4) offered employer connections after graduation.

This is the first academic research in Ireland to develop and evaluate an enterprise-collaborative, discipline-specific module for enhancing graduate employability. Findings suggest that employer collaboration can enhance the efficacy of employability interventions and therefore merits further research.

Drawing on a framework of person-organisation fit (POF) theory, this paper aims to understand how organisations can establish and maintain sustainable early-career talent pipelines. Research question one asks, “How do graduates feel that organisations can attract early-career talent?” Research question two asks, ‘What can employers learn from graduate perspectives about the retention of early-career talent?

Twenty-eight graduates from UK universities participated in semi-structured interviews in early 2022. Cohort one was composed of 15 individuals who graduated in 2008. Cohort two was composed of 13 individuals who graduated in 2020.

The findings identified two themes associated with attracting early-career talent: “Company Culture” and “Supply and Demand”. However, 2020 graduates prioritised the job role and job security, whereas 2008 graduates prioritised job location and commute duration. Three additional themes were related to the retention of early-career talent: “Career Progression”, “Health and Well-being” and “Remuneration”. Findings also highlighted how POF could evolve over time, whereby retention can be beneficial or detrimental to either party.

The study identifies pragmatic approaches to attracting and retaining early-career talent and understanding how graduates' views on POF evolve over time.

The study extends POF research and bridges the shared sustainability themes of “person”, “context” and “time” from vocational behaviour and HRM literature streams.

This study aims to examine the transitions in hiring criteria by recruiting companies in top ten Quacquarelli Symonds ranked business schools in India during the pandemic.

Using an exploratory lens, an in-depth semistructured interview was conducted with 20 recruiting companies across industries and roles.

Content analysis suggests the changing preferences in hiring criteria and identifies six themes that have assumed importance during the pandemic period.

This study has implications for business school participants who need to change their preparation strategy during the placement season.

There is an opportunity for business schools to focus on these two soft skills, namely, self-management with self-discipline and oral and written communication across the platform. However, in the depth and diversity of soft skills training, there is often a shallow coverage of multiple skills. The rather focused approach to developing these two skills may go a long way in preparing work-delivery graduates who could hit the proverbial ground running as the first step into their careers.

This study contributes to hiring managers by suggesting the traits that may assume importance in the new normal where remote or hybrid working context is a necessity.

The purpose of the current study was to examine university students' knowledge, confidence and experience of popular graduate employer selection tests.

A cross-sectional self-report survey was administered to gather a sufficient number of quantitative responses from undergraduate students. A total of 241 students completed the survey with most of them being psychology students from Swansea University. Four key variables were examined: (1) students' experience, (2) confidence and (3) knowledge of selection tests and (4) their desire for more information about selection tests as part of their degree. An audit of selection tests used by the Times Top 100 graduate employers was also conducted.

Students tended to misjudge how often selection tests were used by employers, and generally lacked experience with these tests. Students' confidence in completing each test varied as a function of the selection test; however, prior experience with these tests positively predicted confidence. Additionally, over 70% of students reported a desire for further information about selection tests as part of their degree.

These novel findings suggest that students could benefit from further information about selection tests as part of their degree programme which would be of benefit to both students and universities.

These findings are, to the authors knowledge, the first to explicitly assess second- and third-year undergraduate students' knowledge, experience and confidence with popular graduate employer selection tests and demonstrate that students would like more information about these tests on their programme.

This paper aims to explore how one industry leader in Indonesia addressed its hiring and training problems while simultaneously contributing to society through an human resource management (HRM)-led corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative involving a vocational education training (VET) intervention.

The VET case study, which is central to the paper, followed a four-stage action research design. Data were collected through series of consultations with the company’s top management, benchmarking companies, the vocational school, local community and government bodies.

The intervention reduced the company’s hiring and training problems and provided jobs for graduates which addressed local youth unemployment. This experience generated lessons on CSR strategic interventions which should be considered when HRM professionals are seeking to address simultaneously organisational and social objectives.

The study is based on a single case in a local setting in one country.

The study offers insights to HRM practitioners who face similar problems relating to upskilling, local talent supply and employee recruitment. The proposed framework is likely to be relevant to HRM practitioners who play a lead role in their organisations’ CSR initiatives.

The case provides a realistic example of how a company, through its HRM function, can play a meaningful role in addressing societal issues and strategic business objectives.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is an original case study based on primary data, conducted as action research.

In an ever-interconnected world dominated by discourses on the internationalization and marketization of higher education, concerns related to language and employability have been the focus of recent debates. There is, however, a dearth of research investigating how these dimensions relate to one another in recent comparative and international higher education research. By focusing on how issues related to language and employability have been presented in recent higher education research worldwide, this chapter aims to contribute to our understanding of this concern. To achieve this goal, we conducted a scoping literature review using the Web of Science, Scopus, and the Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) databases, considering the years 2011–2020. The findings, perhaps not surprisingly, suggested that language skills are perceived to be valued by both graduates and employers though the discussions predominantly focused on one language, English. The research focus on English for employability in Anglophone contexts is understandable. However, the fact that the trend is observed in contexts where the language is not the primary or official language seems to indicate the influence of internationalization of higher education and global labor markets primarily dominated by English. The literature also suggested that (English) language training in higher education programs needs to move from solely linguistic and qualification-related content areas to a broader sphere of English for communication purposes that cover both specialized disciplinary content and broader generic employability skills. Considering this finding, we suggest that higher education systems and institutions incorporate recent developments in English for occupational purposes in their curriculum. We also recommend that there needs to be a shift from the overwhelmingly English language-dominated discussions to more inclusive research that assesses the impact of other dominant languages on employability-related concerns.

Diversity and inclusion is a key focus of the profession. This paper investigates the ecological inherited niche of Indonesia and which employers accounting students choose and whether this will result in a diverse and inclusive profession. The authors conceptualise diversity as the demand-from the profession encompassing professional accounting firms, and inclusion as the supply of individuals wishing to enter the profession.

The 1377 responses to a questionnaire survey of students deciding on their career paths were analysed using a multinomial logistic regression and path model.

The findings show that a lack of diversity in the profession is caused by the ecological background, constructing a local niche, that prevents diversity. This is manifest in ethnicity, gender and education, whereby the local niche consists of Chinese males recruited from B-rated private universities. To bring diversity and inclusivity into the workplace, the profession needs to entice people from multi-faceted groups and match ecological niche underpinnings to expectations of the professional landscape. Non-Chinese females are needed to become role models and trail blazers to establish a diverse profession. The public interest will then be better served.

This study uses niche construction as the theoretical framing and demonstrates that the profession needs to take action to become truly diverse and inclusive.

This research aims to see whether replication occurs with the focus on the Japanese HR system, following the latest studies on expatriate management in Japan. Whereas the total number of self-initiated expatriates has hugely increased in Japan, the high turnover rate is a big issue. Can this also be evidenced with new data? How does the Japanese HR system, with its notorious reputation for unique people management methods, relate to the expats' reasons for staying in the long or short term?

Replication of research is adopted here with an interview-based qualitative method using the same research design as previous literature. The previous research focused on Chinese and Vietnamese self-initiated expatriates, who occupy the majority of expatriate positions in Japan. This study has a new target group of Thai expatriates, who have a relatively higher educational background than some other expatriates and are expected by the Japanese firms to stay over the long term.

Replication of the findings of the latest studies occurs in this research. The turnover rate is as high as other national expatiates, with similar reasons, related to the Japanese HR system. However, there are also different issues. The main reasons they give for not staying in the long-term are unhealthy work habits, followed by slower promotion and ambiguous work content/role. The Japanese HR system is a dehumanising mechanism leading to a stressful work environment, which is the most critical concern for them and the main reason they choose not to remain in the long term.

Past studies indicate an expectation gap between Japanese firms and expatriates, which is also found in this study. Additionally, an assumption gap between them about security under the HR system is also confirmed. Security means working healthily for expatriates while it means long-term employment for Japanese firms.

Work readiness is an important aspect of the transition from higher education to professional practice. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of work readiness of individuals transitioning into physiotherapy practice in Australia and identify any association with personal, education and work factors.

Purpose-built surveys were distributed to final-year students and graduates of physiotherapy programmes nationally. Work readiness was measured using the recently validated Work Readiness Scale for Allied Health Professionals 32 (WRS-AH32), which captures the following four domains: Practical Wisdom, Interpersonal Capabilities, Personal Attributes and Organisational Acumen. The surveys also included personal, education and work data. Work readiness was expressed as percentages for total work readiness and within each domain. Independent t-tests were used to examine the influence of personal, education and work factors on work readiness.

176 participant responses were analysed (84 students and 92 graduates). Total work readiness was 80% [standard deviation (SD)8], with Practical Wisdom the highest scoring domain (91%, SD8) and Personal Attributes the lowest scoring domain (65%, SD14). Considering overall work readiness, individuals reporting some psychological symptoms scored lower than asymptomatic individuals [mean difference 7% (95% confidence interval (CI) 4 to 9)] and final-year students scored less than graduates [mean difference 3% (95%CI 0 to 5)].

All stakeholders, including individuals, universities and employers, need to consider further strategies to develop aspects of work readiness, particularly within the domain of Personal Attributes and those with psychological symptoms.

This study demonstrates that physiotherapy students and graduates perceive themselves to be well prepared to transition to the workforce.