The purpose of this article is to investigate how political skill relates to career decisions and occupational fit.
The study utilizes undergraduate business majors to determine how their level of political skill influences their choice of career/major in a Holland‐type framework. Hypotheses are tested using logistic regression.
The paper finds that there is general support for the proposition that political skill influences the pursuit of social and enterprising majors/careers.
While choice of major is a strong indicator of occupational choice, it is not a direct measure of individual careers. However, the results provide insight regarding how organizational politics relates to individual careers and suggests the need for further study.
The paper provides a valuable additional factor for assessing career fit.
This paper is the first to critically examine organizational politics with reference to career choices rather than career outcomes and provides insight into how these affect satisfaction and success.
