engleski

Neuroticism and career aspirations among business administration students prior to their first employment

The purpose of this study is to explore influence of personality trait neuroticism with career aspiration of business administration students who are at the end of their university education. With the advent of ever more ambiguous business environment, the emergence of next technological revolution and global job competition, career choices and aspirations are becoming more and more complex issue. Insight into the antecedents of career aspiration are therefore valuable for students but also for the student counselling services as well as for future employers. Individual differences between employees are important factor in career choices as well as in success in a particular business field. Personality is one of the major influences that these individual differences arise from. In order to shed light to this important issue we have examined the effects of personality trait neuroticism, which is often described as negative influence factor on work results, with student aspiration. Level of neuroticism was measured by personality indicator test based on the big five personality traits which are the best accepted and most commonly used model of personality in academic psychology. Students aspirations were approximated by their ambition in organizational hierarchy and the responsibility they would like to bare in ten years time from finishing their education. The research sample included 114 last- semester students of the well respected middle European university who have their academic major in management. The results yielded support to the hypothesis that the students with higher level of personality trait neuroticism have more modest career aspirations. The results showed significant difference between aspirations of associate level and manager level students (p = 0, 007), associate level and director level students (p < 0, 001) and between director level and managerial level students (p = 0, 04). Students who designated their aspiration in ten years time at the position of associate showed higher levels of personality trait neuroticism, that is they tend to be more prone to emotional stress and anxiety (M = 4, 83 ; SD = 1, 17) in respect to students who reported level of aspiration to be the one of middle responsibility (M = 3, 30 ; SD = 1, 30) as well as the ones who said that they aspire for highest positions in the organizational hierarchy (M = 2, 76 ; SD = 1, 34). Also, students who said that their ambition in 10 years time is to be in the middle of organizational hierarchy have showed higher results in personality trait neuroticism (M = 3, 30 ; SD = 1, 30) in respect to the students who have claimed that their ambition is to bare more responsibility (M = 2, 76 ; SD = 1, 34).

career aspirations, personality, anxiety, neuroticism, business student counselling

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