Is the Professional Orientation of University Instruction Related to Graduates' Early Career Outcomes? The Mediating Role of Employability

We tested whether the degree to which university instruction is professionally oriented has an indirect effect on university graduates' early career outcomes (finding a job within 6 months after graduation and three job quality indicators: educational horizontal fit, perceived overqualification, and hierarchical level) via personal employability dimensions (career identity, personal adaptability, human capital, and social capital). The study sample consisted of 303 university graduates. Data were collected at two time points: 2 months before graduation (Time 1) and 6 months after graduation (Time 2). Two research models were tested by means of path analyses, for the two sets of dependent variables: finding a job after graduation and job quality of those that found a job. The results showed that: (1) professionally oriented university instruction (POUI) had a positive indirect effect on finding a job within 6 months after graduation via social capital; (2) POUI had a positive indirect effect on horizontal fit and a negative indirect effect on perceived overqualification via career identity; and (3) POUI had a positive indirect effect on the hierarchical level via social capital.