Career maximizing reflects the desire to identify the best possible career alternative through a careful comparison of available options (Voss et al., 2019). This tendency may have important implications: on the one hand, it can foster more informed and satisfying decisions; on the other hand, it may lead to indecision and stress in the decision-making process (Dahling & Thompson, 2013; Iyengar et al., 2006). The Career Maximizing Scale (CMS) was developed to specifically measure this construct, demonstrating its relevance for career-related outcomes such as satisfaction and self-efficacy (Voss et al., 2019).
The present study aimed to validate the Career Maximizing Scale (Voss et al., 2019) in the Italian and Algerian contexts. The measure was administered to a sample of 403 university students (206 from Algeria and 197 from Italy) aged between 18 and 30 years (M = 20.93; SD = 1.08). Along with the CMS, additional measures were administered: the Career Adaptability Scale, the Satisfaction With Life Scale, and the Flourishing Scale.
Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis supported the unidimensional structure of the CMS, consistent with theoretical assumptions. Contextual invariance between the two samples was demonstrated. The scale also showed good validity evidence, correlating positively with career adaptability, life satisfaction, and flourishing.
Overall, the findings suggest that the CMS is a valid and effective measure for assessing career maximizing across different cultural contexts, offering a significant contribution to the understanding of career decision-making processes. The evidence collected highlights the importance of a culturally sensitive approach to measuring this construct and provides useful implications for both international research and career guidance practice, as the CMS can help professionals and students reflect more consciously on career decision-making strategies and develop more sustainable and satisfying career paths.