Career Adaptability And Self-Efficacy In Relation To Employability: The Mediating Role Of Proactive Career Behavior — A Systematic Literature Review

Anggela Kurnia Ilmi; Dina Safitri

doi:10.63922/ijebir.v5i05.5888

Anggela Kurnia Ilmi Department of Management, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Lampung, Indonesia.
Dina Safitri Department of Management, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Lampung, Indonesia.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.63922/ijebir.v5i05.5888

Keywords: Keywords: career adaptability, self-efficacy, proactive career behavior, employability, systematic literature review

Abstract

This study aims to synthesize empirical evidence regarding the relationship between career adaptability, self-efficacy, proactive career behavior (PCB), and employability among Generation Z college students through a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) approach. This study is driven by the urgent need to understand the psychosocial mechanisms that determine students’ work readiness amid labor market volatility caused by technological disruption. The article selection process followed the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, involving a systematic search of eight reputable scientific databases, resulting in 31 primary articles published between 2018 and 2026 as the basis for the synthesis. The data were analyzed using a narrative synthesis approach, integrating Career Construction Theory (CCT) and Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) as the primary theoretical frameworks. The results of the synthesis indicate that career adaptability and self-efficacy serve as antecedents—or internal psychosocial assets—that equip students with the mental readiness to navigate the school-to-work transition. These two assets are translated into tangible outcomes through proactive career behavior, which functions as a mediating variable between internal capacities and employability outcomes. These findings confirm that improving students’ employability is not merely a passive result of the accumulation of technical skills, but rather an outcome of a continuous psychosocial cycle that simultaneously involves self-confidence, adaptive capacity, and proactive actions. This study recommends that higher education institutions adopt a holistic approach that balances cognitive strengthening and behavioral development in student career preparation programs, and suggests that future research employ a multi-wave longitudinal design to strengthen the causal validity of these findings.

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