A Rutgers study investigating how young professionals navigate their early career phase (typically the first five to ten years of entering their profession or field) has revealed that their work experiences are often complex. They face tensions between their desire to integrate further into their current organization (for growth and recognition, etc.) and their perceived need to explore other opportunities in preparation for their next career steps.
The study, “Getting socialized but trying not to get stuck: early career professionals’ liminality in dual socialization processes,” by SC&I Assistant Professor of Communication DaJung (DJ) Woo and SC&I Doctoral Student Rachel Acosta was published in the journal Human Communication Research.
Woo said their study suggests that career exploration does not end for young professionals when they have started full-time jobs. Instead, it is a continuing process even while they are fully employed, which creates tensions and has implications for how they communicate with others—both at work and outside of work.
“We found that, indeed, early career professionals’ work experiences are complicated by these tensions,” explained Woo and Acosta. “For example, while they engage in conversations with their managers about possible promotion paths within their current organization, they simultaneously apply for different jobs and discuss new career opportunities with recruiters. We found that they try to facilitate this dual socialization process by maintaining some distance from their organization—whether through establishing clear work-life boundaries (e.g., avoiding additional projects or late stays at work) or skipping happy hours to protect their time for LSAT (Law School Admission Test) preparation.
We were curious about how today’s early career professionals manage the dual process of settling at their jobs while simultaneously planning future career moves—a dynamic that past studies did not adequately capture.
“However, this doesn’t imply that they perform poorly at work. They put forth their best effort and energy while on the job, but they refrain from going ‘above and beyond’ to give everything they have to their jobs. Business experts refer to this phenomenon as ‘quiet quitting,’ which is influenced by several factors. Our research highlights one significant factor—their focus on planning and preparing for their next career move to avoid getting ‘stuck’ in their current job. Given the tension inherent in this dual process, we conceptualize their experience as one of ‘liminality’—an in-between state where they are neither fully ‘in’ nor fully ‘out’ of their current job.”
Woo and Acosta said they wanted to learn about this phenomenon for a few reasons. “First,” Woo said, “the current generation of young workers change jobs multiple times just during the early career phase, unlike previous generations who typically stayed in one job to master their professional skills and build strong organizational bonds. We were curious about how today’s early career professionals manage the dual process of settling at their jobs while simultaneously planning future career moves—a dynamic that past studies did not adequately capture. Second, the contemporary career landscape has become increasingly volatile with frequent organizational changes and a multitude of job options (e.g., gig work and flexible jobs), which can complicate individuals’ career planning and decision-making. So, we sought to understand the uncertain, tension-filled experiences of early career professionals, and how these experiences shape their communication in and outside of the workplace.”
To conduct the study, Woo and Acosta interviewed 22 full-time early-career employees across diverse organizations and industries. Each participant was interviewed three times, spaced about two months apart, to capture how their circumstances and decisions evolved over time. According to the researchers, these interviews yielded rich insights into the participants’ career perspectives, with compelling examples and stories detailing how they managed the challenges and hopefulness of navigating between career chapters.
What the young professionals didn’t expect, Woo said, is how difficult this experience was going to be for them. “They thought having a full-time job and continuing to learn about what they want to do in their future career—including job applications, test preparation, and/or seeking mentorship—will be manageable, underestimating the mental strain and communication challenges involved."
The study revealed several intriguing findings. One, as Woo and Acosta found, is that early career professionals feel pressured to engage in what they term the ‘dual socialization process’ due to societal discourses such as “you are the leader of your own career” and “you have to look out for new opportunities if you want to advance your career or increase salary.” This pressure distracts them from fully committing to their jobs, despite their fundamental need to develop a bond with their organization.
“So, it's not that young workers today are particularly selfish or greedy,” Woo said, “but they have been socialized to believe that managing this dual socialization process is essential for achieving success and a fulfilling career.”
The study also revealed that some early career professionals actively choose this path. They enter new jobs with the intention of continuing to explore future career options, implying that they do not plan to remain in their career positions long-term.
What the young professionals didn’t expect, Woo said, is how difficult this experience was going to be for them. “They thought having a full-time job and continuing to learn about what they want to do in their future career—including job applications, test preparation, and/or seeking mentorship—will be manageable, underestimating the mental strain and communication challenges involved. For example, many felt unable to confide in their coworkers or managers about their career exploration efforts due to fear of being perceived as disloyal. Having to monitor and limit their communication in the workplace was frustrating for them at times, and they often turned to their close friends and family members for support and advice.”
Woo and Acosta emphasized that “it is crucial to distinguish the situations of the young professionals we studied from those of marginalized employees. Our participants chose to engage in job searches while employed for career advancement, voluntarily placing themselves in liminality. This contrasts with Allen’s (1996) notion of involuntary ‘outsider within’ status often faced by marginalized individuals due to exclusionary organizational practices.”
The study also offers practical implications for managers of early career professionals. According to Woo and Acosta, managers “should be mindful of dual socialization complexities and support their employees in navigating both what it means to be part of the organization and a member of their profession."
The study also offers practical implications for managers of early career professionals. According to Woo and Acosta, managers “should be mindful of dual socialization complexities and support their employees in navigating both what it means to be part of the organization and a member of their profession. Managers should also provide more than job-specific information to early career employees, engaging in broader discussions about career development and growth opportunities.”
Further, Woo and Acosta suggest that managers can foster open communication and trust by initiating regular check-ins to gauge early career employees’ evolving interests and passions. “Proactive communication about career advancement opportunities and upcoming organizational changes can aid early career employees’ decision-making and aligning their anticipated career transition with organizational objectives for mutual benefits,” Woo said.
To further this research in the field of Communication, Woo and Acosta have developed (and published in this paper) a new theoretical model. This model helps other researchers conceptualize how the organizational socialization process involves tensions related to liminality—the in-between state that early career professionals navigate as they move back and forth between organizational integration and career exploration.
Learn more about the Department of Communication at the Rutgers School of Communication and Information on the website.
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