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The ‘bounded' career: An empirical study of human capital, career mobility and employment outcomes in a mediated labour market

Centre for Career Management Skills at the University of Reading (a HEFCEfunded Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning) z.m.e.king{at}reading.ac.uk

Simon Burke

Department of Economics at the University of Reading Business School s.p.burke{at}reading.ac.uk

Jim Pemberton

Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences at the University of Reading j.permberton{at}reading.ac.uk

Many scholarly attempts to ascribe meaning to contemporary employment have adopted terms such as ‘new’ or ‘boundaryless’ careers.We argue that it makes more sense to conceptualize careers as ‘bounded’ than as ‘boundaryless’. We argue that careers are bounded by prior career history, occupational identity and by institutional constraints imposed by ‘gatekeepers’ to job opportunities. We present an empirical study of employment outcomes in a mediated labour market. Drawing on placement history and CV data from IT professionals, we examine the impact of occupation-specific human capital, prior career mobility and agency relationships on the probability of being shortlisted for a vacancy. We find that a candidate's prior history with the recruitment agency is a more important factor than occupation-specific human capital in determining access to job vacancies, indicating that intermediaries structure labour market opportunities. Even in a high-turnover industry, prior career mobility has a negative effect on access to permanent vacancies.

Key Words: boundaries • boundaryless • careers • gatekeepers • human capital • nformation technology • intermediaries

Human Relations, Vol. 58, No. 8, 981-1007 (2005)
DOI: 10.1177/0018726705058500


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