Mixed methods in careers research: contradictory paradigms or desired approach?

We study careers from several disciplinary perspectives, from psychology and sociology to economics and political science (Arthur, Hall & Lawrence, 1989). This interdisciplinary attention makes career studies fascinating but also complex and in need of some conceptual clarity (Baruch, Szucs & Gunz, 2015). In the following chapter, we describe why a mixed method approach to studying career phenomena may be of special value given our field’s stage of development. We discuss that for careers studies in particular there are multiple benefits to be gained from integrating different methodologies into one study which will produce insights that go beyond one single approach. The purpose of the chapter is to show that when using a multi method approach the researcher should focus on how the integration of two methods will exceed the sum of the individual qualitative and quantitative components. This chapter describes in detail two examples of the mixed method approach in career studies and its associated benefits. Finally, we briefly conclude with recommendations to career scholars wishing to pursue a mixed method approach in their studies.