Unlocking Employability with Grit and Cultural Intelligence: An Extension of the Career EDGE Model of Employability

Purpose: The Career EDGE Model was introduced as the ‘key’ to employability in 2007, but it does not explain how graduates manage in multicultural environments or cope with failure. This study aims to present an updated and enhanced version of the Career EDGE Model by adding the constructs of cultural intelligence and grit as an answer. Design/Methodology/Approach: This article follows an integrative literature review approach where papers pertaining to the Career EDGE model are evaluated to create an enhanced framework of employability by including cultural intelligence and grit in the original model. A total of 85 papers were considered for the study, majorly within the time frame 2017–2024, with a few seminal papers dating as far as 1998. Findings: The research shows cultural intelligence and grit address Career EDGE’s gaps in explaining the external environment and multicultural settings. Cultural intelligence helps graduates perform efficiently even in an environment that is culturally different from their own, thus promoting adaptability. Grit helps graduates face adversity in terms of labour market or rejections in career while not losing hope and continuing their pursuit of continuous learning and excellence. Conclusion: The enhanced Career EDGE model advances employability research by incorporating Grit and Cultural Intelligence thereby addressing the lacunae pertaining to multicultural complexity and general career-related adversity. By embedding perseverance and adaptability, the enhanced model extends theoretical knowledge of graduate employability while providing practical insights to academicians, higher educational institutions and employers on how to produce globally competent and resilient graduates.