Measuring career shocks: A study of scale development and validation in the Chinese context

The emergence of self-career management has pushed individuals to manage their careers proactively and evade unexpected events. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a career shocks scale for use in Chinese organizations. In doing so, we developed a comprehensive scale of career shocks to cover a significant gray area of career management and enhance a deeper understanding of the emergence of career shocks among Chinese employees. Using the mixed-method approach, we recruited multiple samples to validate the item structure and assess construct validity and internal consistency of the career shocks scale. The findings of a confirmatory factor analysis suggested two dimensions of career shocks (positive and negative), having nine items. Moreover, a strong inter-item structure indicated that this research measure would be valuable for future research endeavors in the domain of career management.