The role of career feedback in the career development of young adults

Abstract

Individuals shape their own lives and express their self-concepts in the world of work by continually setting career goals and taking career-related actions (Savickas, 2002). Feedback about these career goals and actions informs the individual about their suitability, how well the goals are being progressed, and what they might need to do in order to achieve them (Greenhaus, Callanan, & Kaplan, 1995). Feedback, thus, helps reduce a person's sense of uncertainty about their career goals and actions, and helps them adjust their subsequent behaviours to improve their chances of achieving them (Ashford & Cummings, 1983; Bandura, 1991; Latham & Locke, 1991). When young people do not receive useful feedback, lack the necessary strategies to deal with conflicting feedback, respond to serious negative feedback inappropriately, or are not sufficiently motivated to regulate their behaviours in response to feedback, they can experience difficulties with their career development. In this chapter, we review the historical background and theoretical development of the feedback applicable to young adults, critically review the literature on the construct of career-related feedback in the context of goal-oriented theories, and, finally, explore the practical implications for career practitioners who work with young adults.