prof. dr. Jos Akkermans

Full Professor, School of Business and Economics, Management and Organisation

Personal information

Prof. dr. Jos Akkermans is a Full Professor of Sustainable Careers at the Department of Management and Organization at VU Amsterdam. He obtained his PhD from Utrecht University in 2013. As a career scholar, his expertise spans contemporary and future careers, with a focus on sustainable careers, career success, career shocks, career transitions, and non-traditional career paths.

Jos is Associate Editor for the Journal of Vocational Behavior, the leading journal in the field of career research. He is also a Past Division Chair of the Academy of Management Careers Division. In addition, he actively collaborates with businesses and professionals, and is regularly invited to give keynote lectures and make media contributions.

Research

The world of work is transforming rapidly, reshaping how people build and experience their careers. But what does it take to craft a career that allows people to thrive, today and in the future? Jos studies how people can build careers that are not only successful but also sustainable over time. His research is relevant to employees across all sectors of the labor market, from those just starting out to experienced professionals navigating unexpected disruptions.

More specifically, his research focuses on four interconnected themes: (1) sustainable careers and career success, (2) career shocks and transitions, (3) employability, and (4) non-traditional career paths such as gig work and self-employment. He has published his work in leading international journals, including the Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, the Journal of Vocational Behavior, the European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, Applied Psychology, and Human Resource Management.

Teaching

Jos mainly teaches at the Master's, PhD, and executive levels at the VU School of Business and Economics, with a focus on topics related to careers, HRM, and organizational behavior. He supervises PhD, Master's, and Bachelor's students, and is the program director of the Business Administration Master's program. Beyond his teaching duties, Jos has invested significantly in educational leadership: he has been trained as both an educational leader (LOL) and a senior university teacher (SKO), reflecting his commitment to high-quality education at VU Amsterdam.

Ancillary activities

No ancillary activities

Ancillary activities are updated daily