Hiring as Cultural Gatekeeping into Occupational Communities: Implications for College Students, Faculty, and Career Advisors

Abstract

In this article, the author explores the role that culture plays in employment decisions, and subsequent implications for postsecondary educators, advisors, and students. Specifically, the study reported here examines that critical linkage between college and the labor market—the hiring process itself. Then, the role that culture plays in facilitating (or thwarting) employability is a crucial question for scholars studying college student career readiness and stratification processes, as well as for students, career advisors, and educators interested in how the college experience can best prepare graduates for a challenging and potentially capricious labor market.