The Impact of Career Experiences on Job Satisfaction: The Mediating Role of Job Adaptation Among University Graduates

This study examines the effects of career and employment support experiences during college on job adaptation and job satisfaction after graduation, using data from the Korean Education and Employment Panel II (KEEPⅡ). It also investigates whether job adaptation mediates the relationship between career support experiences and job satisfaction. The results indicate that participation in career and employment support programs during college was relatively limited, and levels of job adaptation and job satisfaction were moderate. Correlation and regression analyses show that career and employment support experiences had no significant direct effects on either job adaptation or job satisfaction. Mediation analysis based on the Baron and Kenny approach further confirms that job adaptation does not mediate the relationship between career support experiences and job satisfaction. However, job adaptation has a significant positive effect on job satisfaction, suggesting that individuals who perceive a higher degree of fit between their jobs and their education, majors, and skills report higher job satisfaction. These findings suggest that career and employment support experiences during college do not automatically lead to positive job outcomes after graduation. Rather, early career job satisfaction appears to depend more strongly on job adaptation, highlighting the importance of career support policies that emphasize person–job fit and facilitate young adults’ adaptation to the labor market.