Young Spanish university students facing employment: a qualitative comparative analysis of the conditions that lead to greater participation in selection processes

In a future marked by technology and the decrease in employment, young Spanish university students must be aware of the factors that drive their participation in company selection processes that lead to their first job. This study aims to show, through a qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) carried out on a sample of 301 master's degree students, what configurations of factors in the university stage and the incorporation into the professional world determine the degree to which they participate in these processes. High levels of self-efficacy, international experiences and spending time working on Job Search Behaviour (JSB) generate competences that help young people in this mission. In combination with the JSB, another factor that facilitates this is the performance of internships. The JSB plays a fundamental role and conditions related to this practice—curriculum and time—appear both in the results of the presence of the result and in the denial. • Graduate employability study must focus on first job search as a key career step. • QCA is ideal for studying employability, as it is a multidimensional construct. • Curriculum submission is a necessary condition for selection process participation. • The heuristic model of employability should be applied to recent graduates. • Self-efficacy, internships, international stint, and job search behaviour are key.