Social influence on career choice decisions of business school graduates in India - an exploratory analysis

The last two decades have witnessed the campus recruitment system gaining popularity in India. In most of the cases, a few employers are prioritised frequently by students for employment. The existing literature describes that job choice decisions are rational and is based on job and organisational attributes. Contemporary research highlights that social norms and acceptance influence present-day job aspirants' career choice decisions. This study investigates the role of social norms in career choice decisions of prospective employees who are in the final phase of completing their college education. For this study, a qualitative approach is adopted. In-depth interviews with students in their last year of a second-tier business school in India were carried out for gaining insights into the career choices. The study found the relationship between the role of normative and informational social elements in career choice decisions of individuals.