Finding your calling is not enough - Having the chance to enact it daily is important

Working in a profession that corresponds to your calling does not automatically mean that you will have the chance to enact your calling on a daily basis, according to a study among church ministers in the UK. Even for priests, the degree to which they could enact their callings during a normal work day varied considerably and was related to their experienced well-being. Finding one's calling is thus not enough for your happiness - creating daily opportunities to enact it in your job is important, as this study suggests.

Journal of Organizational Behavior

Unemployment can change personality

Experiencing unemployment leads to a decrease in agreeableness towards others, to being less conscientious, and to being less open for new experiences, according to a representative analysis in Germany. Personality is typically seen as very stable in adults. However, important contextual and environmental influences can still affect one's personality. So, here's one other reason to avoid unemployment. It can not just affect career development and income, but the innermost core of who we are.

Journal of Applied Psychology

Role models motivate for greater achievement

Having role models motivates for greater achievement, according to a Canadian study. This only works, however, if the role model stands for a goal that can be attained and that is relevant to one's own work. Otherwise, a role model can even have negative consequences on a person's self-view. People should thus rather take the well-seasoned, competent older colleague with a similar job description as a career role model instead of the topshot new recruit from a different division.

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

The positive side of career barriers : Perceived difficulties in career can motivate career engagement

University students who report more barriers in their career development (e.g., lack of support, unfavorable labor market) are more engaged in proactive career behaviors, such as networking or career exploration, according to a German study. However, the positive effect of career barriers only emerged when students also had high confidence in their abilities to master challenges at work. The results suggest that barriers combined with confidence can spur engagement in career development.

Journal of Vocational Behavior

Career engagement during university leads to more job and career satisfaction after graduation

University students who are more active in their self-directed career management report higher job and career satisfaction in their jobs several months after graduation, according to a German study. If students remain passive regarding their career while at university they have a higher change of landing in less satisfying jobs.

Journal of Career Assessment

Argreeable men are penalized when it comes to income

Men who are highly agreeable are earning less compared with less agreeable men - possibly because this does not correspond to gender stereotypes, according to a series of studies in the US. Agreeable women do not suffer the same penalty in income.

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

A bit of narcissism might help you get a leadership position

A moderate level of narcissism is advantageous to be promoted into a leadership position, according to a new meta-analytic study. This is likely because narcissistic people are good at making positive first impressions and overstating their achievements and competencies. However, narcissism is not related to better leader performance, according to this study. 

Personnel Psychology