From Cap and Gown to career Crown: Unlocking employability with career adaptability and regulatory focus for a successful transition

Throughout their educational journey, for college juniors and seniors, enhancing employability is crucial for boosting confidence and career prospects. Recent hospitality labor market challenges have limited job opportunities, increasing the need for educators to provide resources for career launch readiness. This study draws on data from 334 undergraduate hospitality management students in the U.S. The findings make a unique contribution by integrating Conservation of Resources theory and Regulatory Focus Theory to develop and empirically validate a novel, resource-based school-to-work transition model specifically for hospitality management students. Notably, this study identifies perceived employability as a key driver of readiness for the school-to-work transition, with career adaptability and promotion focus serving as critical mediators. The findings contribute to research on career launch transitions, offering valuable insights for educators.