Running Head: Period of Achievement and Establishment
Early Careers:
A Review of the Literature
XYZ
-Career Management
Early Careers:
A Review of the Literature
Over the past 40 years a number of researchers have demonstrated that the early stages of career is an important part in one’s career. Multiple research stresses on the importance of socialization and mentoring during this phase. It is not an only a period of adjustment but a whole lot of learning altogether (Kramer, 1993). Different research gives significance to different aspect in this period that addresses the following questions:
• What adjustment does one come across during his first job experience?
• How and in what way does organizational culture play a role in this period?
• Why organizational socialization is important and how much is it related to one’s success?
• Is there an unsaid contract between the employer and employee and why?
• What is the role of mentor and why is it important in the early career phase?
Thus, this review of literature on early careers focuses on the above five questions.
First Job Experience
According to Orpan, (1984), Hackman & Oldham (1980), newcomers to jobs are concerned with establishing their identities and the attributes like identity, significance, and feedback which further are strongly related to satisfaction. Only after establishing these attributes, the employee will concentrate sufficiently on other task attributes such as task variety, task identity, task significance, & autonomy. This is correlated to how they feel about their job (Orpen, 1984). In this period of establishment, the newcomer has a strong need to be accepted as being competent and a contributing member with parallely exhibiting positive work habits, attitudes and effective socialization in terms of relations with co-workers (Dix & Savickas, 1995). The new hires is also most receptive in terms of information, be it formal or informal that would make his...