Czech students' perceptions of careers in the shared services industry

Abstract

Talent attraction is identified by industry-wide studies as a top priority for the Shared Service Centers (SSCs) between 2015-2020. Due to the market dynamics and the structure of the labour force, the shared service industries in Eastern and Central Europe strive for qualified graduates with appropriate and unique skills. The inbuilt interest and course prescriptions undertaken by the prospective job seekers determine whether SSCs will eventually admit such professionals. This paper assesses students' overall perceptions of careers in the shared services industry and further diagnoses gender impact on the job preferences through the survey method. The questionnaires were distributed among university students in the Czech Republic via an onlinemode. The respondents vary by study year, gender, age, course of study, and work preferences. A total of 1,283 student responses have been collected and analyzed using Stata data analytics software. It was discovered that over 70% of the respondents who are aware of SSCs are quite ignorant of the job opportunities offered by the centers. While the majority of the respondents are interested in support positions (e.g. procurement specialist, planning specialist, human resource specialist, process improvement specialist, payroll specialist, etc.), around a third of the respondents will decline a job offer from the SSCs. The analysis also revealed that males are more likely than females to seek careers in international companies, hence, they tend to be more favorable towards the shared service jobs. Females, however, have stronger preferences towards the marketing and PR positions. The research results provide insights into the job aspirations of the interviewed students. The findings provide a huge resource for recruitment agencies and the shared service industries to renew and redirect their search for talents. Because a great portion of the respondents are planning to start their career within 6-12 months, the research provides important highlights for the talent attraction and recruitment strategies in the industry and provides a curriculum direction in academia. © IEOM Society International. © IEOM Society International.