Linking Career Expectations And Internal Marketing: Insights From Highly Skilled Professionals

Abstract

This study examines how highly skilled employees in finance and IT sectors perceive the importance and fulfilment of career-related internal marketing (IM) practices in knowledge-intensive organisations. A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted using the “employee-ascustomer” framework. Non-parametric statistical methods were applied to assess perceived importance and fulfilment of IM practices and to compare differences across employee groups by gender, age, tenure, organisational size, and work arrangement. The findings reveal a pronounced misalignment between employee expectations and organisational practices. Supportive leadership, a positive work atmosphere, work–life balance, transparent HR processes, and employment security are rated as most important, yet show the largest fulfilment gaps. Intrinsic and learning-oriented career aspects are valued more highly than traditional promotion pathways. Subgroup analyses indicate that women emphasise flexible career options and perceive lower leadership support; younger employees seek both career advancement and job security; fully onsite employees report lower fulfilment than hybrid or remote workers; and larger organisations demonstrate higher overall fulfilment. The study advances internal marketing theory by linking career expectation fulfilment to organisational attractiveness and employee retention and provides practical insights for tailoring IM strategies to diverse employee groups in knowledge-intensive contexts.