Career crafting for personal brand equity: optimizing sustainability and prosocial behaviors with development i-deals

Purpose This study aims to examine the impact of career crafting on personal brand equity, career sustainability and prosocial proactive behaviors, emphasizing the moderating role of career development idiosyncratic deals (i-deals). Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 225 paired hotel employees and supervisors. Using structural equation modeling and the PROCESS macro, the study assessed the relationships between career crafting, personal brand equity and related outcomes while exploring moderating and mediating effects. Findings Career crafting positively influences personal brand equity, which enhances career sustainability and prosocial proactive behaviors. Development i-deals strengthen the indirect effects of career crafting through personal brand equity, yet their direct impact on prosocial behaviors is limited. High development i-deals amplify career outcomes through personal branding. Originality/value This study offers a novel theoretical lens by integrating signaling and social exchange theories to explain how career crafting and development i-deals jointly shape sustainable career outcomes and organizational effectiveness.