Philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau once asked: "what wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?" This article explores whether career practitioners might need to ask themselves the same rhetorical question in relation to career practice. Career development consultations that explicitly aim to focus on offering kindness might be a…

This paper reports on findings of an interpretive study, which used the Kaleidoscope Career Model as lens through which to view the careers of professional women in education. The study used hermeneutic phenomenology, a methodology novel in management and career management to gain a subjective perspective on women's career experience and what…

This article explores the contribution a social constructionist paradigm can make to the study of career, through a small-scale empirical study of recent graduates employed in New Zealand's state sector. A social constructionist lens denies the possibility of an individualised, generalised understanding of 'career', highlighting instead its local,…

Traditionally career education in New Zealand secondary schools has been provided by a dedicated career advisor, but the effectiveness of this model is increasingly being questioned. This review examined approaches to career education in order to recommend a more appropriate model for the future. A review of 14 articles revealed that career…

How does who you think you are influence what you do vocationally? Exploration of this led to eight participants agreeing to identify and consider how their self-concept affected their work satisfaction. Their responses formed the basis of "Project Happiness -- The Lived Experience", which comprised a written report and an accompanying…

This study investigated best practices in New Zealand secondary school career education and guidance programmes. Schools considered to use best practices were identified by nominations from professional associations and from Careers New Zealand. A total of 20 nominated schools agreed to be included in the study and the career advisers of these…

Career development services have existed in New Zealand since the early part of the 20th century. In many aspects, the profession has developed in New Zealand parallel to the development of career guidance and counselling in other Western countries but New Zealand also represents a unique context. In acknowledgement of the distinctive…

This study used professional standards developed by the Career Industry Council of Australia and the Career Development Association of New Zealand to create a questionnaire that was distributed to New Zealand career practitioners. The questionnaire asked respondents to rate the relevance of each standard to their career practice and also to rate…

In this qualitative study, the career journey of one New Zealand woman was analysed. Three key findings emerged: the power of narrative as a vehicle for this woman's story, her movement towards greater authenticity and spiritual fulfilment as a mature woman, and the ongoing struggle for concurrent fulfilment from communal and agentic perspectives.…

While discussions of social justice have become more prominent in the general career literature in recent years, little attention has been given to where the topic "fits" within career education and, more specifically, how it affects career advisers in schools. Drawing on the findings emerging from research in New Zealand, I examine…

Career education plays a crucial role during compulsory secondary schooling by providing students with opportunities to gain diverse insights into the multiple ways in which social, political and economic discourses shape and position concepts of self, career, opportunity and justice. It hence has the potential to make a difference to how young…

Increasing interest by national and international agencies affects the environment career practitioners work in. Market-driven systems, deregulation and technological innovation change how people access services. This article examines some of the implications of these aspects on how career practitioners build their occupational identity, finding…

Many career development theories recognise that the relationship between people and their environment constantly changes through historical and socio-political influences. Such theories emphasise the importance of systematic interpretations and general cultural influences on meaning-making. While such a view of meaning-making is important, we…

A growing number of Chinese-born international students are seeking permanent residency and paid employment in New Zealand after graduation. As yet, little is known about their post-study transitions to permanent residency and paid employment. This article reports on research investigating the transition experiences of 10 Chinese-born…

Career education occupies a pivotal position, relating school to the wider social, political and economic world. Yet it remains an under-researched curriculum area, with little attention given to issues of social justice. In this article I discuss the findings from a small-scale qualitative study, which consisted of an hour-long semi-structured…