Employability as Self-branding in Job Search Games: A Case of Finnish Business Graduates

Abstract

<p>The chapter focuses on self-branding as situated employable identity performance in terms of difference and sameness at the time of labour market entry. The chapter provides rarely adopted critical approach to self-branding and contributes to new theoretical-methodological understandings of current manifestations of employability by introducing an interaction-oriented narrative approach to identities. Drawing from detailed analysis of 27 interviews with Finnish business degree graduates, the study shows the various ways graduates strive to accomplish, reaffirm or contest specific versions of themselves in relation to the ideals around employability and the discourse of self-branding. As the graduates present themselves as credible labour market actors, they also strive to solve the moral dilemmas associated with self-branding, that is, authenticity versus fabrication, in the context of Finnish working life.<br></p>