Perceived overqualification and career growth: testing a moderated mediation model based on occupational instrumentality and supervisor support

Grounding on career mobility theory, this scholarship tested a moderated mediated model to examine the relationship between perceived overqualification, occupational instrumentality and career growth. Further, this study examined how occupational instrumentality—acts as a stepping stone towards career growth and will act as a mediator and supervisor support as a moderator. We tested our hypotheses with a diverse sample in Pakistan. Data was collected from 437 employees working in the corporate sector at Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan. Results show a positive and significant relationship between perceived overqualification, occupational instrumentality and career growth. Moreover, occupational instrumentality mediates the relationship between perceived overqualification and career growth. Supervisor support strengthens the direct path between perceived overqualification and occupational instrumentality and indirectly affects career growth via occupational instrumentality. This study contribute to the perceived overqualification literature by identifying perceived overqualification–“the flip side of the coin” and occupational instrumentality play a key role as a stepping stone in individual career growth.