All Outputs (54)

Not lovin’ it: How insecure work creates insecure lifestyles for the poorest in society (2017)
Digital Artefact
Robertson, P. (2017). Not lovin’ it: How insecure work creates insecure lifestyles for the poorest in society. [Online magazine]

This short article argues that teaching young people to be flexible workers is only good up to a point. They also need to learn to recognise and avoid exploitation in the workplace.

Positive psychology and career development (2017)
Journal Article
Robertson, P. J. (2018). Positive psychology and career development. British Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 46(2), 241-254. https://doi.org/10.1080/03069885.2017.1318433

Positive psychology has been an influential movement within psychology in the early years of the 21st century. It is now timely to assess the value of its contribution to career education and guidance. This paper provides a critique of this perspecti... Read More about Positive psychology and career development.

The role of networking and social media tools during job search: an information behaviour perspective (2017)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Mowbray, J., Hall, H., Raeside, R., & Robertson, P. (2017). The role of networking and social media tools during job search: an information behaviour perspective. Information Research, 22(1),

Introduction. The paper presents a critical analysis of the extant literature pertaining to the networking behaviour of young jobseekers in both offline and online environments. A framework derived from information behaviour theory is proposed as a b... Read More about The role of networking and social media tools during job search: an information behaviour perspective.

Identifying and measuring capabilities for career development in NEET young people (2017)
Journal Article
Robertson, P. J. (2017). Identifying and measuring capabilities for career development in NEET young people. Recherches sociologique et anthropologique/ Sociological and anthropological research, 47(2), 83-99

Amartya Sen's Capability Approach offers great potential as a conceptual framework for promoting social justice and well-being through economic and educational engagement. Yet the capability approach presents researchers with formidable difficulties,... Read More about Identifying and measuring capabilities for career development in NEET young people.

Career Guidance, Health and Well-being (2017)
Journal Article
Robertson, P. (2017). Career Guidance, Health and Well-being. Career Matters, 5(1), 36-37

This is a brief article for practitioners in the Career Development Institute's magazine: Career Matters. It explores the links between work, health and well-being, and considers the implications for career development practice.

Career capabilities in disadvantaged youth (2016)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Robertson, P. (2016, November). Career capabilities in disadvantaged youth. Paper presented at International Association for Educational and Vocational Guidance (IAEVG) Annual Conference 2016, Madrid, Spain

Drawing on the "capability approach" of philosopher and economist Amartya Sen, this paper outlines a small empirical study to identify what kind of intervention may empower unemployed young people. Research interviews were conducted with 14 young peo... Read More about Career capabilities in disadvantaged youth.

Positive psychology: A movement to reintegrate career counselling within counselling psychology (2015)
Journal Article
Robertson, P. (2015). Positive psychology: A movement to reintegrate career counselling within counselling psychology. Counselling psychology review / the British Psychological Society, 30(3), 26-35

Content & Focus: In the UK career counselling has tended to evolve separately from the counselling psychology profession. Elsewhere, notably in North America, counselling psychology does embrace career issues. This paper explores the contested bounda... Read More about Positive psychology: A movement to reintegrate career counselling within counselling psychology.

Towards a capability approach to careers: Applying Amartya Sen's thinking (2014)
Journal Article
Robertson, P. J. (2015). Towards a capability approach to careers: Applying Amartya Sen's thinking. International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance, 15(1), 75-88. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10775-014-9280-4

Amartya Sen’s capability approach characterizes an individual’s well-being in terms of what they are able to be, and what they are able to do. This framework for thinking has many commonalities with the core ideas in career guidance. Sen’s approach i... Read More about Towards a capability approach to careers: Applying Amartya Sen's thinking.

Health inequality and careers (2014)
Journal Article
Robertson, P. J. (2014). Health inequality and careers. British Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 42(3), 338-351. https://doi.org/10.1080/03069885.2014.900660

Structural explanations of career choice and development are well established. Socioeconomic inequality represents a powerful factor shaping career trajectories and economic outcomes achieved by individuals. However, a robust and growing body of evid... Read More about Health inequality and careers.

Updating Qualifications for the Career Guidance Profession in Scotland: Navigating the Maze (2013)
Journal Article
Allan, G., Moffett, J., & Robertson, P. J. (2013). Updating Qualifications for the Career Guidance Profession in Scotland: Navigating the Maze. Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice, 1(2), https://doi.org/10.14297/jpaap.v1i2.62

This paper describes work in progress to modernise the initial training arrangements for the career guidance profession in Scotland. In a process initiated by the University of the West of Scotland, the Quality Assurance Agency benchmark for the subj... Read More about Updating Qualifications for the Career Guidance Profession in Scotland: Navigating the Maze.

Career guidance and public mental health (2013)
Journal Article
Robertson, P. J. (2013). Career guidance and public mental health. International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance, 13(2), 151-164. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10775-013-9246-y

Career guidance may have the potential to promote public health by contributing positively to both the prevention of mental health conditions and to population level well-being. The policy implications of this possibility have received little attenti... Read More about Career guidance and public mental health.

The impact of career guidance on well-being outcomes (2013)
Thesis
Robertson, P. J. The impact of career guidance on well-being outcomes. (Thesis). Edinburgh Napier University. Retrieved from http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/id/eprint/6133

The thesis explores the interrelationship between career guidance, mental health, and well-being: an area neglected by the career guidance community in the UK. This topic is explored against a background of growing interest in the connections between... Read More about The impact of career guidance on well-being outcomes.

The well-being outcomes of career guidance (2013)
Journal Article
Robertson, P. J. (2013). The well-being outcomes of career guidance. British Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 41(3), 254-266. https://doi.org/10.1080/03069885.2013.773959

The potential for career guidance to impact on well-being has received insufficient attention in the UK. There are both conceptual and empirical reasons to expect that the impacts may be positive, but a lack of evidence directly testing this proposit... Read More about The well-being outcomes of career guidance.

Clients with mental health conditions: a challenge for career guidance practice. (2011)
Book Chapter
Robertson, P. (2011). Clients with mental health conditions: a challenge for career guidance practice. In B. A. Irving, & L. Barham (Eds.), Constructing the Future: Diversity, Inclusion and Social Justice (131-146). Institute of Career Guidance

This article explores meeting the needs of clients with mental health conditions and seeks to establish this group as one of particular interest to career guidance practitioners. The issues are introduced in broad terms by looking at the incidence, s... Read More about Clients with mental health conditions: a challenge for career guidance practice..