The overall purpose of this thesis is to describe and analyse interpersonal behaviour in career counselling sessions. The importance of the relationship in counselling for the outcome of sessions has been acknowledged in earlier research. How the actual interaction process between client and career counsellor looks like has been sparsely investigated. The present research explores expected, experienced behaviours and self-image of 15 adolescent clients’ and counsellors’ dyads in career counselling. The research was guided by interpersonal theory and the model of structural analysis of social behaviour (SASB) developed by Lorna Smith Benjamin. The research focuses on four different aspect of interpersonal behaviour. First, the significance of different behaviours by the clients and the career counsellors related to session evaluation. Second, the significance of expected and experienced similarity in perceptions of self and other behaviours related to session evaluation. Third, differences of perceived behaviours and possible influence by self-image over the course of sessions and fourth, comparing the influence of positive and negative self-image to expected and experienced behaviours, perceived important events during session and session evaluation session by clients’. Results indicate the importance for clients to become close to the career counsellor in session, while the career counsellors’ encouragement of clients’ independency during sessions showed to be of less importance for the clients’. This pattern imply a difficult balance act for career counsellors between providing a safe and close relationship and promoting independence and exploration for the clients. Further, it was found that career counsellors had difficulties in identifying their own contributions to a positive session evaluation, indicating a problem for the career counsellors’ to make conscious adjustments of behaviours. The degree to which client and career counsellor agreed of their behaviours only mattered for experiences of the career counsellors’ behaviour when related to their evaluation of session. Only minor tendencies of influence by the career counsellors’ self-image of clients’ perceived differences in behaviours were found. Self-image played a significant role in how the clients’ expected and experienced behaviours, perceived important events in session and in their session evaluation. Clients’ with positive self-image showed consistently more positive perceptions on each of the involved variables.

Under utbildningen till Studie- och yrkesvägledare kom vi att upptäcka hur intressetester av olika slag blivit ett allt populärare sätt att skaffa sig förslag på lämpliga studie- och yrkesval. Intressetester används av verksamma vägledare inom både skola och arbetsförmedling. Internet är vårt främsta informationsanskaffningsmedel och används alltmer inom vår bransch. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka elevers attityd till intressetester. Framförallt undersöka om dessa tester genererar i en ökad kunskapsproduktion och om den kunskapen då är giltig. Vi ville även undersöka om intressetester kan ersätta behovet av mer personlig vägledning. En enkätundersökning innehållande 13 frågor kring respondenternas upplevelse av intressetester utfördes på en grupp gymnasieelever i Norrtälje kommun. Med stöd av denna studies undersökningsresultat, karriärutvecklingsteorier och vägledningsmetoder har följande slutsatser kunnat dras: Att intressetester är ett bra verktyg för att finna ny kunskap om sig själv och olika yrken. Att tester har god förmåga att matcha rätt person till rätt yrke men att utfallen av testerna inte bedömdes som helt hundraprocentigt seriösa. Behovet av personlig vägledning ansågs av majoriteten inte direkt kunna ersättas med intressetester. Det finns nästan ingen tidigare forskning kring problemområdet men vi uppmanar för framtida forskning att undersöka konsekvenserna av en alltmer webbaserad vägledning. / During this education to become career counselors we came to detect how measurements of interest of various kinds is becoming more and more popular when to get proposals on appropriate study - and career choices. Measurements of interest are used of career counselors within both schools and employment offices. The Internet is our most useful facility when it comes to find information and is used increasingly within our sector. The aim with this study is to examine students' attitude to measurements of interest. Above all examine if they generate in an increased knowledge production and if that knowledge is valid. We also wanted to examine if measurements of interest can replace the need of more personal guidance. A questionnaire survey containing 13 questions around individuals' experience in measurements of interest was carried out on a group of high school students in the city of Norrtälje. With support of this study's survey results, career development theories and guidance methods the following conclusions can to be drawn: measurements of interest are a good tool in order to find new knowledge about yourself and different trades. Measurements of interest have good ability to match the correct individual with the correct trade but the outcomes of the measurements were not assessed entirely one hundred percent serious. The need of personal guidance was by majority not considered directly to be replaced with measurements of interest. There is almost no previous research around the problem area but we urge for future research to examine the consequences of progressively more guidance on the web.

I Sverige finns det idag ett stort antal yrken och en del av dessa är i en professionaliseringsprocess. Studie- och yrkesvägledaryrket är ett exempel på ett yrke i denna process. Syftet är att beskriva utvalda aktörers syn på studie- och yrkesvägledaryrkets avgränsningar, kompetens samt eventuella auktorisation i ett professionaliseringsperspektiv. En kvalitativ metod har använts och fem elitintervjuer har genomförts med representanter från Lärarförbundet, Lärarnas Riksförbund, Sveriges vägledarförening, Högskoleverket samt Skolverket. Samtliga respondenter ansåg att det finns specifika kompetenser som endast studie- och yrkesvägledare besitter men åsikten om vilka kompetenser detta är, gick isär. Majoriteten av respondenterna ansåg att studie- och yrkesvägledaryrket borde auktoriseras/legitimeras, dock inte alla. Avgränsningen mot andra yrken när det gäller arbetsuppgifter fanns det skilda meningar om. Den slutsats man kan dra av studien är att fackförbunden och Sveriges vägledarförening arbetar för professionalisering av studie- och yrkesvägledaryrket men utan en gemensam strategi. Yrket har inom olika områden kommit olika långt i sin professionaliseringsprocess.

<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:HyphenationZone>21</w:HyphenationZone> <w:PunctuationKerning /> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas /> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables /> <w:SnapToGridInCell /> <w:WrapTextWithPunct /> <w:UseAsianBreakRules /> <w:DontGrowAutofit /> <w:UseFELayout /> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]> <object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id=ieooui></object><mce:style><! st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } --> <!--[endif]--> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Garamond; panose-1:2 2 4 4 3 3 1 1 8 3; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:647 0 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0cm; margin-right:0cm; margin-bottom:9.0pt; margin-left:0cm; text-align:justify; text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Garamond; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:Garamond; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:70.85pt 70.85pt 70.85pt 70.85pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <mce:style><! /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Normal tabell"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} --> <!--[endif]--> Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine what attributes graduating students prefer when choosing their first employer after graduation. Background: To attract good employees are becoming more and more important. Since there are over 60 000 students graduating every year from universities in Sweden, it is crucial for organizations to know how to best attract these talents. It is generally small- and medium sized companies (SMC’s) that have problem since they don’t have the resources to find information and brand themselves as good employers, and hence, large multinational companies are being ranked as the most attractive employers. If these SMC’s would know what attributes the graduate students find most important, they would be able to focus on those and more successfully attract the students suitable for their organization. Method: In order to fulfill the purpose, an exploratory study had been made. Quantitative data was collected by a delivery and collection questionnaire, which was handed out in classes at Jönköping International Business School (JIBS) and Jönköping School of Engineering (JTH). The findings in this thesis are based on 124 graduating students preferred job attributes. Conclusion: When looking at JIBS and JTH in total, the students find attributes relating to responsibilities and involvement in decision making to be the most important. However, when only looking at JTH, the students value job security and good relationship at the workplace over other attributes. At JIBS, graduate students are attracted to jobs where they can take responsibility and make further career advancements.

A basic interpretative research design (Merriam, 2002) was used to investigate the research question, What is the experience of being involved with music while also employed in a professional occupation? This study contributes to the research on meaning and purpose in life and in work. Three professionals, one man and two women, were interviewed using in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Participants were invited to provide a brief personal history and describe areas of life and work that they found challenging as well as rewarding and / or meaningful. Narratives were developed from the participants interviews. <p>Themes that emerged from the data included the participants experiences of meaning and purpose. All three participants identified their salaried employment as providing meaning in their lives. Their experience of music included a transcendent dimension, a sense of connection to others, a higher self, or to God. Factors that may have encouraged or prohibited the participants achievement in work or music included early learning experiences, exposure to role models and mentoring opportunities, financial concerns, socioeconomic status, social support, psychological traits, and self-efficacy beliefs. <p>This study has relevance for individuals seeking meaning and purpose in their own lives. The narratives exemplified the lives of three individuals with the coping skills, resiliencies, and strengths required to thrive personally and professionally and attain a high level of achievement in more than one area. The narratives may also interest individuals interested in pursuing a career in the arts, music in particular. <p> This study is also relevant for parents, teachers, and career counsellors who want to facilitate the development of potential and encourage high achievement in their children, students, and clients. Career counsellors might benefit from a greater understanding of the aspects of life and work that affect the individuals experiences and ability to pursue a high level of achievement. Early recognition of talent, followed by parental support and discipline as well as professional recognition would be a good start. Encouragement in the form of acknowledgement and financial assistance would continue to develop the individuals ability. However, external resources would not be sufficient without the internal resources, such as responsibility, courage, optimism, hope, perseverance, autonomy, and self-acceptance. Further study could research the application of positive psychology to enhance the development of talent and/or achievement.

The purpose of this study was to empirically support and elaborate upon an integrative theory of career development by examining the worklife adjustment and career development experiences of new Canadian immigrant professionals. In focusing on the participants’ subjective views, the study provided an understanding of the lived experiences of this unique life-career transition, and in so doing, aimed to elaborate upon existing theories of career development towards the development and empirical substantiation of a comprehensive, diversity- and culturally- sensitive integrated meta-theory of the career development of immigrants in Canada. A qualitative methodology was employed and transcripts of in-depth interviews were analyzed using a grounded theory approach to data analysis. The central themes within the narratives that emerged were contrasted against an integrative career development theory and career development theoretical constructs, with the goal of elucidating the role and function of such constructs in immigrants’ Canadian career development. The study’s findings and contribution of a diversity- and culturally- informed, integrated, and enriched meta-theory of career development have implications for career counselling, cross-cultural, immigrant, and vocational psychology literature and practice.

<p>In the current recessionary cycle in which individuals finds themselves, it is interesting to see whether organisations and individuals have changed their strategies or whether they pursued their tried and tested inherent mechanisms of recruitment/work selection. In recessionary times, organisations would usually have a bigger pool to select from whilst employees, in turn, would try to position themselves in a stable work environment. From an organisational perspective, organisations have also undergone major transitions such as downsizing, merges and acquisitions, right sizing, restructuring, and reengineering. These changes have a direct impact on employees&rsquo / level of motivation and job satisfaction (Ellison &amp / Schreuder, 2000). The concept of a traditional career that an employee occupies for a lifetime performing one type of work in an organisation no longer exists. Instead, employees now work for more than one organisation in their lifetime. These changes entail that employees need to be flexible and adaptive in making career decisions (Schreuder &amp / Coetzee, 2006). Career anchors can be operationalized as a representation of self- perceived talents, motives, values and abilities that guide employees to make career decisions. Schreuder and Coetzee (2006), are of the opinion that if employees are not familiar with their&nbsp / career anchors, they could find themselves trapped in work environments that are not satisfactory and would continually be questioning themselves. Suutari and Taka (2004) emphasize the fact that there needs to be a fit between the careers of employees and the work environment. If there is no fit between the career anchors of employees and the work environment then employees are likely to become dissatisfied which may result in a high turnover of staff with a corresponding low productivity rate. This study investigates and explores the phenomenon of career anchors based&nbsp / on Schein&rsquo / s 1978 career anchor theory and how these career anchors affect employees level of job satisfaction. The Career Anchor Inventory and the Job Descriptive Index were administered to a sample of 154 employees at a leading retail organisation who completed the questionnaires. The results of this research study indicate that there are significant relationships between biographical factors and career anchors as well as between biographical factors and job satisfaction and similarly between typology of career anchors and dimensions of job satisfaction.</p>

This article is a quantitative research analysis that aims to compare the career orientations of Swedish and Chinese undergraduates involved in an International Social Work Program as an effort to provide insight for social work educators.  Use of the Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) was applied to analyze the data.  A mail questionnaire was issued to 51 students studying at the University of Gävle (Sweden). The results show that fifty percent of Swedish students and fifty percent Chinese students would prefer to work in the government and/or public sector.  Also,  the study participants  agree that they will be influenced by career development opportunities in future work, and that the most substantial difference between the nationalities is that Chinese students tend to be more influenced by the social expectations of immediate parents, relatives, and friends, than their Swedish counterparts.  Finally, this article lists a few recommendations geared towards helping social work educators provide more relevant links between the school’s curriculum and anticipated job requirements, and bridging more opportunities for student internship positions.

A basic interpretative research design (Merriam, 2002) was used to investigate the research question, What is the experience of being involved with music while also employed in a professional occupation? This study contributes to the research on meaning and purpose in life and in work. Three professionals, one man and two women, were interviewed using in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Participants were invited to provide a brief personal history and describe areas of life and work that they found challenging as well as rewarding and / or meaningful. Narratives were developed from the participants interviews. <p>Themes that emerged from the data included the participants experiences of meaning and purpose. All three participants identified their salaried employment as providing meaning in their lives. Their experience of music included a transcendent dimension, a sense of connection to others, a higher self, or to God. Factors that may have encouraged or prohibited the participants achievement in work or music included early learning experiences, exposure to role models and mentoring opportunities, financial concerns, socioeconomic status, social support, psychological traits, and self-efficacy beliefs. <p>This study has relevance for individuals seeking meaning and purpose in their own lives. The narratives exemplified the lives of three individuals with the coping skills, resiliencies, and strengths required to thrive personally and professionally and attain a high level of achievement in more than one area. The narratives may also interest individuals interested in pursuing a career in the arts, music in particular. <p> This study is also relevant for parents, teachers, and career counsellors who want to facilitate the development of potential and encourage high achievement in their children, students, and clients. Career counsellors might benefit from a greater understanding of the aspects of life and work that affect the individuals experiences and ability to pursue a high level of achievement. Early recognition of talent, followed by parental support and discipline as well as professional recognition would be a good start. Encouragement in the form of acknowledgement and financial assistance would continue to develop the individuals ability. However, external resources would not be sufficient without the internal resources, such as responsibility, courage, optimism, hope, perseverance, autonomy, and self-acceptance. Further study could research the application of positive psychology to enhance the development of talent and/or achievement.

The purpose of this study is to explore the process of career development experience of non-traditional route teachers serving in junior high schools. Depth of interview method which is expected to make this study closer to the respondents¡¦ life experiences is used to collect the participants¡¦ courses of choosing teaching and presented by the patterns of life stories. The researcher explores the mood changes from these teachers¡¦ courses including growth background, integrating with the road of education, practice stage, exam participation, and future career plans to comprehend why they choose teaching as a career. The researcher concludes the following results according to the collection analysis and induction from these six respondents. 1.Internal personal factors and external environmental factors can affect the career choice from the non-traditional route teachers. 2.The information and learning process are the foundation of choosing teaching as career. 3.The process of exam participation and mental adjustment is the critical period to choose teaching as career. 4.The problems which the non-traditional route teachers face with in reality can provide development for the future researches. It is expected that the study can be the reference for the teacher training institutions and for the non-traditional route students and plan to choose teaching as career in the future. It is also expected that the suggestions according to research conclusions can be the reference for follow-up researches. 1.The suggestion to the non-traditional route students. 2.The suggestion to the teacher training institutions. 3.The suggestion for the researches in the future.