Towards a self-regulation model of career competencies: A systematic review and future research agenda

Abstract

Owing to the growing emphasis on self-managed career patterns, career competencies as essential personal career resources play a vital role in several work and career outcomes. Despite extensive research on career competencies in the last three decades, it lacks a consistent theorization and often relies on diverse theoretical perspectives. To synthesize our scholarly knowledge of career competencies, we conducted a systematic literature review of 80 peer-reviewed articles from 1985 to November 2022. In doing so, we understand how the construct of career competencies has been conceptualized and measured, review prominent theoretical perspectives adopted, and build a theoretical model based on a self-regulation perspective. This review helped us identify significant research limitations and locate promising research gaps. Building on these insights, we craft a future research agenda highlighting opportunities for conceptual, theoretical, and empirical advancement of career competencies research.