Influence of pre-graduation international experiences on early career internationalization: The mediation effect of career capital

• Mediation effect of career capital is partial: only knowing-why is a significant mediator.
• Self-awareness influences decisions related to early career internationalization.
• Both pre-graduation exposure and immersion activities build career capital.
• Knowledge and personal relationships are less influential in career decisions.
• More intense activities directly affect the degree of career internationalization.

This study proposes a model to examine whether changes in career capital (knowing-why, knowing-how, knowing-whom) of graduates mediated the relationship between pre-graduation international activities and career internationalization. Results of a study conducted on a sample of business graduates show that the mediation effect of career capital is partial: only knowing-why is a significant mediator, suggesting the key role played by individual self-awareness over and beyond knowledge/skills and personal relationships in decisions related to early career internationalization. Further, only the more intense pre-graduation international (“immersion”) activities directly affect the degree of career internationalization. Implications for firms interested in hiring young professionals oriented toward international careers are discussed.