Factors affecting individuals’ subjective career success

Abstract

This study examines the factors affecting individuals’ subjective career success based on the sponsor and contest mobility of career success (Turner, 1960; Rosenbaum, 1984). Subjective career success has been normally approached by three perspectives: individual, structural, and behavioral in which the individual and behavioral approaches belong to the contest-mobility model of career success while the structural one belongs to the sponsored-mobility model. With critical components of individuals’ subjective career success such as organizational sponsorship, external marketability, person-organization fit, and its consequence which is life satisfaction, the research makes an attempt to examine all of the three perspectives mentioned. Research findings indicate that organizational sponsorship and external marketability make significant impacts on subjective career success and these relationships are positive. This study also examines a number of personal information like gender, marital status, age, highest diploma, occupation, number of working years, and monthly salary when it comes to perceived career success. In addition, subjective career success also positively affects life satisfaction. The findings have important practical implications for managers and leaders, who generally seek to motivate their employees toward career achievement.