These needs are arranged in a hierarchy and he suggests that we seek first to satisfy the lowest level of needs. Maslow argues that we cannot be fulfilled in life unless all the five elements in the hierarchy are met, working from the bottom to the top. Once this is done, we seek to satisfy each higher level of need until we have satisfied all five needs Throughout life, these five needs can relate to a greater understanding of a job seeker’s needs. We strive to acquire these elements in order to improve our livelihood and getting a job is one of the activities which plays a role in achieving the desired lifestyle. Similarly, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs can be directly translated into our needs within our careers. According to the social cognitive career theory, our decisions to pursue a particular career may be influenced by self-efficacy …show more content…
The key concept to the social cognitive career theory is self-efficacy, which is the perceived level of confidence in one’s ability to perform various activities related to career planning and development.” A person whose lowest level needs have not been met will make job decisions based on compensation, safety, or stability concerns. Naturally they will revert to satisfying their lowest level needs when these are no longer met or are threatened (such as during an economic downturn). However, with these satisfied, a person will want their higher level needs of esteem and self-actualization met. CONCLUSION All career choices are a significant learning experience towards the person that you want to become and where you want to succeed. Once we achieve the fifth level of Self-Actualization, our needs are met to enable us to pursue the career of our