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Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between psychological contracts and subsequent internship outcomes, with a specific focus on employer obligations with regard to career development. The study also examines the potential moderating role of person–organization (P–O) fit. Design/methodology/approach: Online surveys were administered to 196 college students both prior to and upon completing their summer internships. Moderated mediation analyses were performed following Hayes (2018). Findings: The results show that employer fulfillment of career development is positively associated with organizational attractiveness, as mediated by intern skill acquisition. In addition, high levels of P-O fit ameliorated low developmental situations, with high P-O fit resulting in stronger attraction to the organization than low P-O fit. Practical implications: The study underlines the importance of career development and the associated attainment of instrumental resources in the psychological contract process between organizations and interns. For the former, the provision of career development may increase interns' attraction to the organization. For interns, such opportunities can enhance skill acquisition, with differential effects for those with high and low P-O fit. Originality/value: This study is the first to provide an empirical assessment of the instrumental outcomes of psychological contract fulfillment with regard to career development prior to formal organizational entry. It further sheds light on the interactive effect of skill acquisition and P-O fit in predicting individual perceptions of the organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internships are a growing, yet controversial, labour market phenomenon. In particular, the issue of unpaid internships has been the source of legislative, judicial and ethical debate. Some have criticised colleges and universities for promoting an expansion of internships for undergraduate students – with little regard for internship characteristics such as compensation, quality of supervision and work activities. Meanwhile, there is a paucity of research examining the role internship characteristics, such as compensation, supervisor behaviours and work design have on internship efficacy. Based on a survey of undergraduate students in the US, the results showed that supervisor mentoring, the developmental value of the internship and the job pursuit intentions of the intern with the host employer were lower for those reporting on their unpaid internship vs. paid internship. Meanwhile, supervisor support and supervisor mentoring are significant predictors of internship efficacy regardless of internship compensation, while work design has much less of an impact on internship efficacy. The implications of the findings for educators, employers and prospective interns are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]