Emotional Intelligence Profiles and Job Search Correlates in the Context of the School-to-Work Transition

The current study adopted a person-centered approach to explore emotional intelligence profiles among 1582 university students and investigated whether different combinations of self-focused (i.e., intrapersonal) and other-focused (i.e., interpersonal) emotion appraisal and regulation emerged between women and men. We also examined the relations of these profiles with job search self-efficacy and job search clarity. Four distinct profiles emerged for the women and men that differed in terms of level and shape. Furthermore, these profiles predicted job search self-efficacy significantly for the women and men, but they predicted only job search clarity among the men. These results provide evidence about the importance of differentiating profiles of emotional intelligence between women and men and to be particularly attentive to gender stereotypes. Second, these results open new avenues for tailor-made career counseling interventions for university students facing the school-to-work transition.