Keywords
• Talent management
• Intern conversion
• Career satisfaction
• Organizational attractiveness
• Internship
• Talent retention
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Submitted: Nov 29, 2024
Accepted: Dec 11, 2024
Published: Dec 24, 2024
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This study examines the effect of perceived intensity of talent management practices on the intention of interns to convert to full-time employees. Based on signaling theory and social exchange theory, the research explores the mediating roles of career satisfaction and organizational attractiveness in this relationship. Data were collected from 103 interns, with a nearly equal gender distribution, through an online survey. The study employs multiple regression and mediation analyses to test the proposed hypotheses. The findings reveal that higher perceived intensity of talent management practices is positively associated with both career satisfaction and organizational attractiveness, which in turn significantly influence interns' conversion intentions. More specifically, organizational attractiveness fully mediates the relationship between talent management practices and conversion intentions, while career satisfaction serves as a partial mediator. These results emphasize the importance of implementing effective talent management practices during internships to enhance interns’ career satisfaction and the attractiveness of the host organization, ultimately increasing the likelihood of retaining interns as full-time employees. The study contributes to the understanding of how strategic management of internships can serve as a pathway to talent acquisition and retention.

Tekbıyık, M. (2024). From Internship to Employment: How Perceived Talent Management Practices Influence Intern Conversion Intentions. TABAD Journal, 1(1), 33-61. https://tabadjournal.org/ojs/index.php/tbd/article/view/12
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial used, distribution and reproduction in any medium.

Mert Tekbıyık, London School of Economics and Political Science

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