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The example personal narratives above, and the discussions of them, illustrate how the identity perspective provides a way of understanding how the graduates come to be where they now are in their careers and lives. The events, decisions and actions, and their sequence, are as they are (albeit that each individual's description is presented from their personal perspective). However, these could have been different, if different decisions and action had been taken. If LB had decided to stay with her job with the retail company for a longer period, she may have gone on to a different job, perhaps with a large company. The distinctive contribution she made in her current organisation may have been more difficult to achieve in a larger company. If SA had not taken the course for unemployed graduates, he may not have gained the opportunity to work with the black community organisation, may not have developed a commitment towards community economic development, and so not joined his current employer. If he had responded to circumstances differently, there would have been a different set of events requiring some form of response.
It is important, then, to recognise the contingency of people's lives and careers. The narrative form of presentation, above, tends to obscure this fact as it presents the current situation in terms of its outcome from a process over time. It is not possible to examine alternative trajectories from any point in that process. So, a separate and complementary approach to the analysis of the interview material is that of comparison of the events and actions in the different trajectories. By taking key stages that are common to the trajectories, we can examine what happened and what the graduates did. This may help to provide further insights into the issues involved in graduates' experience with regard to employment, especially, for this project, employment in smaller companies. The key common stages are:
From graduation to initial job
The interviews sought information from the respondents on what they aspired to do on graduating and what happened in terms of employment immediately after graduating. There was variation, amongst our respondents, on the extent they had clear aspirations about the type of work they aspired to, as they came to the end of their degree courses. Some were very unsure, or had vague ideas about how they would utilise their degree subject:
"When I left I think I was a bit muddled in what I wanted to
do." (SA)
"My aspirations when I finished university were to train as a
clinical psychologist initially. I graduated with a 2.2 and so didn't get to the
interview stage for clinical psychology." (LD)
The path from formal graduation to first job also varied. Some went
straight into what would be seen as a 'graduate job', one which would be reported
in the First Destination Survey as 'permanent' jobs, ie not a temporary job pending
an appropriate job for a graduate. In the case of those who remained unemployed,
there were variations in responses. Some continued applying for 'graduate jobs',
some took on non-graduate jobs, some undertook further study.
In the case of three individuals who entered 'graduate jobs' on completion
of their courses, a number of different factors seemed to have affected the
decision. Degree subject was relevant in two cases. SD was seeking a job to
use her degree subject of modern languages, and took a job as a bilingual administrator.
GA had taken a degree in travel and tourism and had previously worked for a
summer with a tour operator. She obtained a post as a sales executive for a
hotel with considerable and developing tourist business. For LB, her degree
subject was not relevant, she was recruited onto a general graduate training
scheme in a retail company. However, she did aspire to work in personnel, following
careers guidance; also, her father worked in personnel management. She hoped
to move into personnel after gaining general business experience through the
graduate training scheme. These three cases exhibit an apparently rational process,
linking certain personal characteristics with the job taken. However, as we
discuss below, in all three cases the graduates moved from these jobs very quickly.
The situation of not gaining a 'graduate job' is of particular interest
for this project, as this would seem to be a clear disaffirmation of a graduate
identity. However, in the case of LA she deliberately chose not to seek a 'graduate
job', and decided to travel with a friend, undertaking temporary secretarial
jobs. MC continued to try to obtain a suitable job for a graduate, eventually
settling for a secretarial job which was not advertised specifically for a graduate.
K. also continued to search, finding the difficulty 'a shock' which made him
'work harder' and persist with his search. SA persisted but without success;
travel to stay with relatives in Pakistan led to an intense desire to 'make
something' of himself, and so he undertook further training on his return. LD
decided to study for an MSc, to build his 'academic portfolio', after his degree
classification proved a barrier for entry to his desired field of clinical psychology.
These different responses to the experience of not gaining a job on graduating
raise issues about how undergraduates in the final year, and graduates during
the initial post-completion period, should be advised and helped. Clearly,
a range of options are available, each of which will lead onto various trajectories.
Our respondents may reasonably be seen as having achieved success, and no-one
can tell what might have happened if other choices and decisions had been made.
This is an area for more research.
Experience in first job, and moving on
As stated above, three respondents who went straight into jobs as graduates
soon left those posts. As indicated in the narrative above, LB found the long
hours and types of work dissatisfying, and did not seem to be moving her nearer
her aim of becoming a personnel management professional. She left this large
company to join a small training company; the size of the company was not significant
in the decision. GA disliked the hotel where she was working. SD found her job
with a management consultancy firm (a subsidiary of a major manufacturing company)
was not demanding; she realised she really wanted to work in accountancy. These
cases suggest that many undergraduates and new graduates are making decisions
which lead to a situation in which they review those decisions and their aspirations.
However, it is not possible to say what would have happened otherwise. It may
therefore be the case that the initial period of employment provides an essential
opportunity for reflection on self, career and life aspirations. Graduate
recruiters may need to take this into account in the way that they handle graduates
in the initial period.
Experience in current job
In all cases, the graduates in the smaller companies claimed success in their
current jobs.
"... people take me seriously now because things are actually
happening and bringing benefits to the hotel. Things have been a success." (GA)
In terms of what the graduates had experienced, or would expect, as different
about working for a smaller company, a number of aspects were expressed. These
were very much in line with what would be expected: being given responsibility,
having autonomy, being able to make a contribution.
"Working in a small organisation ... you're able to work on projects
and get much more autonomy and responsibility at a quicker level, I think, than
in a larger company." (MC)
"What I've found in a large company is that no matter how knowledgeable you
are, no matter what qualifications you have, if you have a certain position
they expect you to keep to that position ... if you tried to make some contribution
to another department, it's very unlikely they'd let you because they already
have people who cover that department." (MD)
"I think ... the position gives me a lot of responsibility and I'm basically
... the only person that does the accounts, and so I'm responsible..." (SD)
"I feel I've got a free hand. I think maybe I sometimes get on and do things
that I should perhaps check with the manager first, but he tends to, you know,
let that go because he's, I think, because he's fairly confident in my ability
to judge a situation or whatever." (LB)
"...this is the kind of company where if they feel like you can do more,
then you're given the opportunity rapidly." (LA)
Such characteristics would seem to relate to the qualities in graduates, deemed
to be valued by employers generally (eg AGE, 1995) and including smaller enterprises
(Yorke, 1997), ie 'self-reliance', 'proactivity', 'adaptability' etc. However,
we should note that such terms as 'autonomy' and 'responsibility' as characteristics
of a job situation and 'self-reliance', etc are relative and relational
terms. They do not have objective meaning, and cannot be objectively measured.
Rather, their meaning is socially negotiated in situ, and in relation
to each other. That is, the extent to which an individual will be pro-active
is likely to be affected by the degree to which they perceive the situation
to be one where autonomy is offered and valued; and the degree to which autonomy
is offered will be affected by the extent to which the employee is perceived
to be capable, reliable, etc.
This is illustrated not just by the respondents accounts of their own experiences,
but also by the way they referred to other graduates who did not engage
in the pro-active, self-reliant form of activity deemed important.
"The manager would give her something to do and she'd come to
me and say 'do you know how I can do this?' or 'do you understand what she means
by this?" (LA, talking about a graduate who was subsequently dismissed, and whom
she replaced)
"One of the other girls, the one who hasn't had another job, who's just
graduated, I think she's a bit in awe of the manager really ... I get the feeling
she's sinking in the job, rather than floating." (LB)
This suggests that survey-based studies of what attributes employers state
they are seeking in graduates need to be complemented by qualitative, situational
studies of how such purported attributes are construed in practice. The
most illuminating studies would be those where both parties, employer and employee,
are enabled to express their understandings of the situations they encounter.
"I didn't feel I really knew what I wanted to do, and didn't want to get sucked
into doing something" (LA)
"...when I graduated it was the recession and it was difficult to find jobs, and
I wasn't too sure what I wanted." (MC)
"Initially, I thought I'd want a language job that would use French and Spanish
..." (SD) Some were clear about what they wanted, but found
their aspirations were blocked. In the case of LD, his degree classification was
an obstacle to realising his aim:
"I mean I've proven myself."
(MC)"I know [the business manager] respects my opinion because he bounces ideas
off me as well and he talks to me about things that are going on in the company."
(LB) Often they would talk about moving on; some were now actively
seeking new jobs, others spoke of planning to do so within a short period.
No particular desire to stay with a smaller company was expressed.
In many cases, the respondents would give a general description of their jobs,
talking about the diverse nature of what they do, rather than give a job title
and specific description. Often, the job would be different from what they started
doing.