Developing the preemployment schema

Purpose Economic insecurity has had a major impact on employees however, much less is known about its relationship to the expectations of individuals as they prepare to enter the fulltime professional workplace. This study aims to focuss on relationships between negative workplace information and emotional support communicated by social networks and the development of undergraduates' preemployment schemas. Designmethodologyapproach A survey of university upperclassman was conducted, resulting in a sample of 153 participants. Correlations and linear regressions were used to test hypotheses. Findings Results indicated that the emotional support undergraduates receive from parents and employed friends is more strongly related to their workplace expectations than the specific information they receive regarding downsizing, the faltering economy, and job insecurity. Research limitationsimplications Data were collected using selfreport surveys. Future research should examine nontraditional undergraduates who may have greater work experience and exposure to the workplace. Further exploration of workrelated discussion content, and whether it differs across cultures, is also warranted. Originalityvalue This study offers insight into the relationship between interpersonal discussions about the workplace and specifically emotional support during those discussions to undergraduates' preemployment schemas. Study results contribute uniquely to the socialization literature by confirming the crucial role of friends as sources of information and emotional support during later stages of the anticipatory socialization process.