Wiley: Journal of Employment Counseling: Table of Contents

Navigating Parallel Careers: Profiles and Career Sustainability

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 23:42:56 -0700

ABSTRACT

This study explores protean and boundaryless career profiles among parallel career track (PCT) holders, who are professionals who voluntarily maintain more than one career role simultaneously, and examines their relationship with sustainable career outcomes. PCT holders were identified to have three established profiles: trapped/lost; organization person; and Protean career architect, alongside two new ones, Ethereal and Spare. Notably, Ethereal and Spare represent profile configurations not previously identified in the empirical literature on protean and boundaryless careers. Pairwise comparisons revealed significant differences in sustainable career outcomes. This study enhances career development practice by identifying distinct PCT profiles and their implications for career sustainability, offering insights for practitioners, career counselors, and organizations. The study shows how PCT profiles can inform counseling interventions aimed at enhancing career sustainability.

Forget About the Bucket List: A Grounded Theory Model of Work After Cancer

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 23:35:05 -0700

ABSTRACT

Approximately one in three individuals will develop cancer over their lifetime, frequently during employment years. Given the large number of employed cancer survivors, models that account for factors influencing cancer survivors’ career development are needed. Twenty-seven cancer survivors participated in semistructured focus groups on their work experiences, which were coded qualitatively utilizing grounded theory. The model of the impact of cancer on work highlights how survivors’ employment outcomes are influenced by a complex interaction of factors at the level of the individual, social support system, work environment, and healthcare system, with work volition a key point of intervention by counselors.

Career Aspirations and Person‐Job/Organization Fit Types of Workers From Vocational High Schools

Jaeyeong Ahn — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 23:35:05 -0700

ABSTRACT

This study analyzed latent profiles based on career aspiration and person-job/organization fit and examined differences in job satisfaction and turnover intention. Data were collected from 1621 workers who graduated from vocational high schools in South Korea. Four profiles emerged: moderate career aspiration–moderate fit, low career aspiration–low fit, high career aspiration–high fit, and very high career aspiration–very high fit. Job satisfaction and turnover intention were highest in the very high class and lowest in the low class. Although job satisfaction differed between the high and very high classes, no significant difference was observed in turnover intention. These results imply that vocational high schools should provide practical experiences, strengthen career counseling, and establish support systems to help graduates adapt successfully to the workplace.

School Counselors and the Future of Work: Preparing P–12 Students for Career Development Amid AI, Technological Change, and Economic Volatility

Lia D. Falco — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 23:35:05 -0700

ABSTRACT

The rapid evolution of artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and digital technologies—coupled with a volatile global economy—has transformed the nature of work and the competencies required for career success. School counselors are uniquely positioned to prepare P–12 students for this uncertain future by fostering adaptability, digital literacy, and lifelong learning skills. This manuscript examines the implications of technological disruption within P–12 career development and proposes a conceptual model of future-ready school counseling aligned with the American School Counselor Association National Model (ASCA), emphasizing the integration of technology, social–emotional learning, and equitable access to career readiness opportunities. Central to this model is the school counselor's evolving identity as an agent of adaptability, advocacy, and empowerment to help students, families, and school communities navigate the future of work.

Understanding Work Motivation During Unemployment: A Qualitative Study Based on the Push–Pull–Anti‐Push–Anti‐Pull Model

Bastianne Blanche, Servane Barrault, Aurelien Ribadier, Severine Chevalier — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 23:35:05 -0700

ABSTRACT

This exploratory study aims to better understand the psychological drivers and barriers to returning to work in France, using the integrative push–pull–anti-push–anti-pull model. Thirteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with 8 women and 5 men (M_age = 31.46 years). The interview guide addressed the four dimensions of the model: push, anti-push, pull, and anti-pull. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis with NVivo 14. Results indicate a predominance of motivational drivers over psychological barriers. Cross-cutting themes emerged, including meaning, status, time structure, financial aspects, and need for activity, functioning both as facilitators and inhibitors of reemployment.

Navigating the Retirement Journey: A Cognitive Information Processing Theory Perspective

Janet G. Lenz, Denise E. Saunders — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 23:35:05 -0700

ABSTRACT

Over their lifetime, individuals face various career transitions. One transition that may not be a frequent focus in career counseling is the process of retiring from a long- or short-term paid employment role. Sources indicate that thousands of individuals will be dealing with pre- and postretirement decisions. This article demonstrates how a well-known career theory can be used as a framework to assist individuals, considering the next steps in their postretirement stage. Key theoretical concepts are connected to decisions associated with this life phase, and examples of theory-based tools that can be used as part of this process are highlighted.

Issue Information

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 23:35:05 -0700

Journal of Employment Counseling, Volume 63, Issue 2, Page 77-77, June 2026.

Preparing Prospective Counselors for Classroom‐Based Career Guidance Using Video Vignettes—Mechanisms and Effects

Teresa Giek, Jürgen Seifried, Gerald Sailmann — Sat, 30 May 2026 04:14:57 -0700

ABSTRACT

Career guidance in schools is often delivered by counselors who take on instructional roles. Video vignettes are widely used in teacher education. We developed vignettes for counselor training in classroom-based guidance in Germany. This study examines how prospective counselors engage with these vignettes and how this relates to changes in self-efficacy and professional behavior. A mixed-methods design was employed, combining pre–post questionnaires with interviews and written reflections. Results indicate increased self-efficacy in career guidance (Vocational Orientation Competencies and Didactic Skills) and teaching (Teaching Self-Efficacy, Classroom Management, and Cognitive Activation), as well as improved awareness of classroom scenarios. Qualitative findings further highlight the role of structured reflection and discussion in supporting learning processes. Overall, the findings underscore the potential of video vignette-based learning as a practice-oriented approach to counselor education.

Profiling the Undeclared: Personality and Strengths as Predictors of Major Exploration in College Students

Yuhyun Park, Se Hoon Kim — Fri, 29 May 2026 22:30:30 -0700

ABSTRACT

This study examined whether MBTI personality types and CliftonStrengths themes could predict academic major indecision in 177 undergraduates using random forest classification and K-means clustering. The model achieved strong predictive performance (accuracy = 88.9%, macro F1 = 0.88), with lower ranked strengths (Strengths 4 and 5) emerging as the most influential predictors. Clustering identified three distinct strength profiles; students in the execution-dominant cluster were significantly more likely to have declared a major, whereas influence-oriented or diffuse profiles were associated with indecision. These findings support the use of strengths-informed modeling for the early identification of students who may benefit from targeted academic advising.

Effects of Social Capital on Career Development Competency Among Young People With Chronic Disabling Health Conditions: Mediating Role of Chronic Illness Self‐Management

Sun, 24 May 2026 01:53:38 -0700

ABSTRACT

This study explores how social capital and chronic illness self-management influence career development competency among young people with chronic disabling health conditions (YPCDHC) in Hong Kong. Using data from 485 participants aged 15–29, path analysis showed that school/workplace social capital had the strongest positive effects on career development competency. Health maintenance efficacy emerged as a central mediator, whereas coping with enacted stigma showed specific effects. Findings highlight the critical role of social capital, health maintenance efficacy, and coping with enacted stigma in supporting YPCDHC's school-to-work transitions and offer insights for targeted interventions to enhance career development and self-management skills.

Off‐Contract Professional Strain in Professional School Counseling

Madeline Vinzant, Carol Klose Smith — Mon, 11 May 2026 00:01:47 -0700

ABSTRACT

In recent years, the role of the school counselor has expanded beyond the boundaries of the traditional school schedule to encompass crisis response, mental health triage, and ethical decision-making during evenings, weekends, and academic breaks. This emerging phenomenon has been labeled off-contract professional strain (OCPS). Societal shifts, generational mental health trends, access gaps, and ethical ambiguities have been shown to contribute to OCPS. There is a need for systemic recognition of OCPS as a contributor of secondary traumatic stress, ethical challenges, and increased risk of burnout. Without reform, the field risks high turnover, moral injury, and erosion of care capacity. Structural safeguards to promote school counselor well-being and sustainable practice are discussed. By positioning OCPS as an occupational health issue, this article advocates for a paradigm shift from private resilience to public reform in school counseling.

How Savoring Beliefs Sustain Positive Emotion Under Conditions of Job Stress: Affective Mechanisms Linking Job Stress to Burnout in Young Korean Workers

Hang‐Shim Lee, Young‐Seok Kim — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 02:45:51 -0700

ABSTRACT

This study examined positive emotion as a mediator linking job stress to burnout and tested the moderating role of savoring beliefs among young Korean employees. A total of 510 participants completed measures of job stress, savoring beliefs, positive emotion, and burnout. Results revealed that positive emotion partially mediated the relationship between job stress and burnout. Furthermore, analyses of savoring beliefs’ temporal components showed that present-moment savoring and positive future anticipation significantly buffered the negative impact of job stress on positive emotion, whereas past-focused savoring did not demonstrate a significant moderating effect. These findings highlight the importance of distinguishing the temporal facets of savoring beliefs and highlight specific emotional resources that support resilience in early-career workers. Practical implications for employment counseling include incorporating actionable intervention strategies that strengthen present- and future-oriented savoring beliefs to help maintain positive emotion and prevent burnout under job stress among young employees.