Understanding the role of social capital in adolescentsʹ Big Five personality effects on school-to-work transitions

The school-to-work transition constitutes a central developmental task for adolescents. The role of Big Five personality traits in this has received some scientific attention, but prior research has been inconsistent and paid little attention to mechanisms through which personality traits influence job-search outcomes. The current study proposed that the joint effects of Big Five personality traits and social capital (i.e., available resources through social relations) would shed more light on adolescentsʹ job-search outcomes. Analyses on 685 Dutch vocational training graduates showed that extraversion and emotional stability were related to better job-search outcomes after graduation. Some relations between Big Five personality traits and job-search outcomes were explained by social capital, but no relations were dependent on social capital. Social capital had a direct relation with the number of job offers. Contrary to popular belief, this study shows that Big Five personality traits and social capital relate to job-search outcomes largely independently.