Building Meaningful Careers

Building Meaningful Careers

The pursuit of meaningful careers has become increasingly important as individuals seek more than just financial compensation from their work. This trend has prompted organizations and educational institutions to explore ways to foster meaningful work experiences and career development.

Factors Contributing to Meaningful Work

Organizational and Job Design: Meaningful work is often facilitated by well-designed jobs that fit well with employees’ skills and provide opportunities for job crafting. Organizations can enhance meaningful work by fostering supportive leadership, cultivating positive workplace cultures, and ensuring access to decent work conditions (Lysova et al., 2019; Kim and Park, 2024; Nikolova and Cnossen, 2020).

Individual and Societal Influences: Personal factors, such as autonomy, competence, and relatedness, significantly contribute to perceptions of meaningful work. These intrinsic motivators are more influential than extrinsic factors like income and benefits (Nikolova and Cnossen, 2020). Additionally, societal factors, including access to education and career development resources, play a role in shaping meaningful career paths (Lysova et al., 2019; Karabanova, Zakharova and Starostina, 2020).

Career Development in Different Contexts

Remote Work: As remote work becomes more prevalent, individuals and organizations must adapt to ensure sustainable and meaningful career development. Human Resource Development (HRD) can support remote workers by maximizing the advantages of virtual work and addressing its challenges (Mcdonald, Hite and O’Connor, 2022).

Higher Education and Mentoring: In higher education, mentoring is a critical tool for helping students build meaningful careers. Mentoring supports self-reflection, self-knowledge, and proactive career behaviors, which are essential for developing a calling orientation in career trajectories (Dumulescu, Sarcă and Necula, 2020).

Strategies for Enhancing Career Meaningfulness

Job Crafting: Individuals can increase the personal meaning of their work through job crafting, which involves making proactive changes to job tasks, relationships, and cognitive perceptions of work. This approach is particularly relevant in academic careers, where scholars can redefine their roles to align with personal values and goals (Ross, 2011).

Networking and Community Engagement: Building robust personal and professional networks through community involvement, such as community media work, can significantly impact career pathways. These networks provide support, opportunities, and a sense of belonging, which are crucial for career development (Backhaus, Anderson and Bedford, 2024).

Challenges and Future Directions

Identity and Career Types: The type of professional career an individual pursues is linked to their professional identity status. For instance, a mature career type aligns with an achieved identity status, while uncertainty in career choice corresponds to a moratorium status. Understanding these dynamics can help tailor career development interventions (Karabanova, Zakharova and Starostina, 2020).
Research and Policy Implications: There is a need for further research to develop comprehensive theories that explain how individual, organizational, and societal factors interact to foster meaningful work. Additionally, policy implications for HRD and educational institutions should focus on creating environments that support meaningful career development (Lysova et al., 2019; Okewole et al., 2020).

In conclusion, building meaningful careers involves a complex interplay of individual, organizational, and societal factors. By understanding and addressing these elements, organizations and educational institutions can better support individuals in their pursuit of fulfilling and sustainable career paths.

References

Lysova, E., Allan, B., Dik, B., Duffy, R., & Steger, M., 2019. Fostering meaningful work in organizations: A multi-level review and integration. Journal of Vocational Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JVB.2018.07.004

Mcdonald, K., Hite, L., & O’Connor, K., 2022. Developing sustainable careers for remote workers. Human Resource Development International, 25, pp. 182 – 198. https://doi.org/10.1080/13678868.2022.2047148

Dumulescu, D., Sarcă, D., & Necula, C., 2020. Career Mentoring in Higher Education: Students’ Perceptions and Experiences. Journal of Research in Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.24193/JRHE.2020.2.3

Kim, E., & Park, S., 2024. Linking work meaningfulness, engagement and job crafting to career commitment. Baltic Journal of Management. https://doi.org/10.1108/bjm-02-2024-0077

Karabanova, O., Zakharova, E., & Starostina, J., 2020. Personal factors of building a professional career during the period of entering adulthood. National Psychological Journal. https://doi.org/10.11621/npj.2020.0409

Ross, S., 2011. Crafting scholarly life: Strategies for creating meaning in academic careers. **.

Backhaus, B., Anderson, H., & Bedford, C., 2024. Communities, connections, and careers: building personal and professional networks through community media work. Continuum, 38, pp. 124 – 136. https://doi.org/10.1080/10304312.2024.2344074

Nikolova, M., & Cnossen, F., 2020. What Makes Work Meaningful and Why Economists Should Care About it. European Economics: Labor & Social Conditions eJournal. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.labeco.2020.101847

Okewole, H., Merritt, C., Mangezi, W., Mutiso, V., Jack, H., Eley, T., & Abas, M., 2020. Building Career Development Skills for Researchers: A Qualitative Study Across Four African Countries. Annals of Global Health, 86. https://doi.org/10.5334/aogh.2759