Abstract
Each year graduates exit tertiary institutions intending to join the job market and get opportunities to practise their professions. However, the South African unemployment rate and an unstable economy prevent graduates from securing employment. As graduates enter the workplace, they begin a transition to professionals. During the graduate-to-professional transition, graduates develop a work identity. Many graduates enter the job market through graduate programmes that are aimed at providing support to graduates as they transition and develop into professionals. As graduates integrate into the workplace, they are exposed to the nuances of the work environment.
The purpose of this study was to explore the development of a work identity during the graduate-to-professional transition in the workplace. Graduate programmes are vital for the graduate-to-professional transition as they facilitate the development of technical, interpersonal, and intrapersonal skills. During the graduate programme, graduates encounter the complexities of the workplace and try to fit into the organisation. As graduates try to fit into the new organisation, they begin negotiating between identities to adjust to the workplace. Work identity refers to "a work-based self-concept, constituted of a combination of organisational, occupational, and other identities that shape the roles a person adopts and the corresponding ways he or she behaves when performing his or her work" (Walsh & Gordon, 2007, p. 2).
This study employed the qualitative research approach using a constructivist approach. Non-probability sampling and a purposive sampling technique were used to select 10 participants from an engineering solutions organisation. The data was collected via semi-structured interviews. The interviews were then transcribed. A thematic data analysis approach was employed using ATLAS.ti., a data analysis software.
The findings indicate that graduate programmes are vital in developing graduates professionally. Graduates go through a three-phased transition during the graduate-to-professional transition. As graduates interact with the complexities of the workplace, they develop a work identity. It is during this time that graduates negotiate between
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identities as they try to fit into the organisation. Therefore, the formation of a work identity is non-linear and is influenced by factors such as the work environment, mentorship, graduate expectations, and person-job fit. Insights into the graduate-to-professional transition as a work identity develops will enable HR professionals to improve the recruitment process and the structure of graduate programmes. In addition, such insights will help managers enhance their approach to mentorship for fruitful relationships with graduate newcomers.
Keywords: Work identity, graduate, graduate programme, professional identity.