Career adaptability, job search self-efficacy and outcomes: A three-wave investigation among Chinese university graduates Yanjun Guan a, ⁎, Hong Deng b , Jiaqing Sun a , Yanan Wang a , Zijun Cai a , Lihui Ye c , Ruchunyi Fu a , Yang Wang a , Shu Zhang a , Yuhui Li a, ⁎ a Renmin University of China, Beijing, China b London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK c Huaqiao University, Fujian Province, China article info abstract Article history: Received 20 August 2013 Available online 14 September 2013 Based on career construction theory, the current research examined the role of career adaptability in Chinese university graduates' job search process (N = 270). Results from a three-wave survey study showed that the four dimension of career adaptability (measured at wave 1) correlated positively with university graduates' job search self-efficacy (measured at wave 2) and their employment status (measured at wave 3). Among graduates who became employed, career adaptability dimensions also predicted positively their person–environment (P–E) fit perceptions (measured at wave 3). The results further showed that with the effects of demographics (gender, age, education level and major) and family background (family economical status and parental education) controlled for, when putting the four dimensions of career adaptability together, career concern and career control served as the strongest predictors for job search self-efficacy, which further mediated the positive effects of these two dimensions on employment status. In addition, career control also had indirect effect on P–E fit through the mediation of job search self-efficacy. Additional analyses using the global indicator of career adaptability also supported this mediation model such that career adaptability significantly predicted employment status and P–E fit, with these relations mediated by job search self-efficacy. These findings carry implications for research on career construction theory, as well as career education and career counseling practices. © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Keywords: Career construction theory Career adaptability Job search Person–organization fit Person–job fit 1. Introduction According to career construction theory (Savickas, 1997, 2005), career development is driven by adaptation to a series of transitions from school to work, from job to job and from occupation to occupation, with the goal being person–environment integration. People develop different levels of psychological resources to manage the critical tasks, transitions and traumas in their career development. To capture this important individual difference, Savickas (1997) proposed the concept of career adaptability, which refers to the “readiness to cope with the predictable tasks of preparing for and participating in the work role and with the unpredictable adjustments prompted by changes in work and working conditions” (p. 254). Career adaptability consists of four factors: career concern, career control, career curiosity and career confidence. The four-dimensional scale of career adaptability has been developed and its structural validity was supported by empirical studies conducted in 13 countries (Savickas & Porfeli, 2012), which paves the way for further research on how these adaptive resources shape individuals' self-regulation strategies in their career construction process (Johnston, Luciano, Maggiori, Ruch, & Rossier, 2013; Tolentino, Journal of Vocational Behavior 83 (2013) 561–570 ⁎ Corresponding authors at: School of Labor and Human Resources, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China. E-mail addresses: yanjun.guan@gmail.com (Y. Guan), lorria@vip.sina.com (Y. Li). 0001-8791/$ – see front matter © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2013.09.003 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Vocational Behavior journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jvb