ERIC Number: EJ1022551
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1363-9080
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Gatekeepers of a Profession? Employability as Capital in the Recruitment of Medical Interns
Lindberg, Ola
Journal of Education and Work, v26 n4 p431-452 2013
The present article concerns employability in physicians' professional practice. Drawing on interview data from recruiters at 21 Swedish hospitals with the most applicants for a medical internship, the article seeks to develop a theory of what constitutes an "employable medical intern". Using Pierre Bourdieu's concept of capital, two forms of capital were constructed using interview data, orientation toward performance and orientation toward human relations. Orientation toward performance concerns the applicants' drive and ambition, while orientation toward human relations concerns the applicants' social competence, primarily as co-workers. The study suggests that the most highly employable applicants successfully prove that they possess both forms of capital. These forms of capital are thought to involve sorting mechanisms in the process of recruitment as recruiters infer the desired attributes of applicants from a written application and a job interview. The concept of employability, as well as implications for professional socialisation, is examined and discussed in light of the findings.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Employment Potential, Education Work Relationship, Internship Programs, Physicians, Medical Education, Interpersonal Competence, Performance, Recruitment, Cultural Capital, Social Capital, Employment Interviews, Job Application, Hospitals, Individual Characteristics, Models, Self Esteem, Employee Attitudes
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Tests/Questionnaires; Reports - Research
Education Level: Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Sweden
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A