Jelena Zikic

School of Human Resource Management
Associate Professor
Graduate Program Director
Office: Atkinson Building, 150T
Phone: 416-736-2100 Ext: 22865
Email: Jelenaz@yorku.ca
Dr. Jelena Zikic received her PhD from Joseph L. Rotman School of Management at University of Toronto and before that she studied at the London School of Economics where she earned her MSc in Social and Organizational Psychology. Her program or research and expertise centers on career transitions of diverse populations (e.g., unemployed, entrepreneurs, baby boomers, migrants). In this context her studies address professional identity transitions, cross-cultural mentoring relationships, career management and coping. Currently she is studying challenge and opportunism related to labour market integration of foreign professionals. Her research focuses on career management issues by combining the individual as well as organizational perspective. She has developed part of her career internationally and is currently involved in several cross-cultural projects. At present, Dr. Zikic is working on three major projects and all three are founded by SSHRC.
In her teaching she promotes critical thinking and reflection and focuses on teaching Career Management, Strategic Human Resource Management, and Organizational Communication. Her international background and experience allow her to relate to diverse and increasingly globally minded students at York University.
Dr. Zikic has presented at numerous national and international conferences and her work appeared in journals such as Academy of Management Discoveries, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Human Relations, Journal of Vocational Behavior, and Human Resource Management Journal among others. Most recently, her work has been featured in the Globe and Mail newspaper, in CBC radio interviews and the HR Reporter. She is the recipient of the Verity International prize for the best paper and the Literati Award from the Emerald publishing for the Highly Commented Paper.
Awards and Recognition
• Invited Guest Editor to Globe and Mail’s Leadership Lab for the month of May 2022
• Invited Contributor (chosen among hundreds of academics to provide one of 15 narratives) in a unique volume on academic careers: Becoming an organizational scholar: Navigating the academic odyssey, published in 2021.
• Invited Keynote Speaker by the European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology EAWOP: When you can't be who you are: Career transitions of migrants and refugees. Turin, Italy (2019).
• All-Academy Best International Symposium Award at Academy of Management
• Comparing careers across countries: New scholarship and directions. Academy of Management Conference, Boston, MA, United States (August 2019)
• Best Symposium Award, Careers Division, AND Finalist for Best Symposium by the All-Academy International Theme Committee, Careers, and career success across national contexts. Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, United States (August 2018)
• Emerald Literati Award for Highly Commended Paper, Career Development International paper, co-authored with Koen et al. (2017)
• Best Symposium Award by the Careers Division, Refugees in Europe: Careers and labor market integration; Zikic, J., Invited Discussant, Academy of Management Conference, Atlanta, GA, United States (August 2017)
• Human Relations Journal- Featured Article for June 2017, Zikic & Richardson (2016)
• Nominated for the Research Award at Faculty of Liberal and Professional Studies (2015)
• Best Paper, Skilled migrants’ career capital as a source of competitive advantage: Implications for strategic HRM. International Human Resource Management Journal, by the International Human Resource Management (IHRM) Division, Scholarly Research Award Competition (2015)
• Invited Keynote speaker by the Strategic Capability Network (SCN), Jobs without people and people without Jobs: Migrant professionals, baby boomers, and strategic organizational initiatives.Toronto, ON, Canada (October 2014)
• Best Symposium Award by the Careers Division. Job search and unemployment: Integrating theories; Zikic, J., Invited Discussant. Academy of Management Conference, Montreal, QC, Canada (August 2010)
• Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research, May 2008
• Emerald Literati Award for Highly Commended Paper, 2008, for paper published in Career Development International, co-authored with Dr. Julia Richardson 2008
• Verity International Award for Overall Outstanding Paper in Management, 2008 (for paper published in the Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences, co-authored with Dr. Julia Richardson) 2008
• Best Symposium Award by the Careers Division (entitled: Questions we ask about careers of the immigrant workforce) presented at the Academy of Management in August 2008
• Best International Paper Award by the Careers Division for the paper entitled "Cracking the fortune cookies: Influencing factors in career success across 11 countries", given at the Academy of Management meeting in August 2008
• Best Reviewer Award, Careers Division, The Academy of Management Conference, Seattle, 2003
Degrees
PhD, University of TorontoMSc, London School of Economics, UK
BSc, University of Toronto
Professional Leadership
• Academy of Management (AOM) - (Organizational Behaviour, HRM, Careers Divisions) – current (since 2001)
• European Group of Organizational Studies (EGOS) – current (since 2002)
• Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) – current (since 2004)
• European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology (EAWOP) – current (since 2010)
Institutional/Academic Service to the Profession
• Academy of Management (elected positions): Global Committee Chair (OB division) 2012-2015; Representative at -Large (CAR)/Awards committee 2012-2016, Committee member/Best paper awards (HRM) 2022-2023; Mentor Careers Division 2019-ongoing
• European Group of Organizational Studies (EGOS)-past Convenor
• European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology (EAWOP) – current (since 2010); Invited Keynote Speaker 2019.
Editorships
Special Issue Editor for: Human Relations, Journal of Organizational Behavior, and Journal of World Business
Journal/Conference Reviewer
Academy of Management Journal
Journal of Vocational Behavior
Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology
Human Resources Management Journal/Review
Human Relations
Career Development International
Reviewer for the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), Impact Awards, Canada Research Chairs
Research Interests
Current Research Projects
-
Summary:
Future Skills Center (FSC) Grant- Ryerson University (principal applicant) – Exploring employer and individual perspectives on alternative careers (with Dr. Jing Wang) (2022-2023)
-
Summary:
MITACS funding – Alternative careers of skilled migrants & SME diversity (co-applicants: PhD students Soodabeh Mansoor and Marlee Mercer) (2022-2023)
-
Summary:
MITACS funding – Diversity and Inclusion: Case studies of skilled migrants in Hamilton/Halton Region in collaboration with United Way Hamilton, (co-applicant Viktoriya Voloshyna, Phd student) (2018-2019)
-
Summary:
SSHRC Insight Grant (sole principal applicant) – Skilled immigrant integration: The role of local employers and skilled immigrants in enabling successful integration, (2018-2022)
-
Summary:
SSHRC Partnership Grant – Migration and resilience in Urban Canada: Discovering strengths and building capacity (one of ten academic partners) (2016-2021)
-
Summary:
European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology (EAWOP) – Competitive Award to Lead and Organize Cross-cultural Symposium between Canada & Germany: Is Canada a model immigration nation? Bamberg, Germany (Dec. 15-16, 2016)
-
Summary:
Academic Innovation Fund Recipient: Internationalization of the Curriculum and Blended Course proposal, (2016-2018)
-
Summary:
SSHRC Partnership Grant (Migration and Resilience) (co-applicant) – Project chosen & awarded competitive GA-ship for 2017-2018 for Career Success of Migrant Professionals project.
-
Summary:
SSHRC Research Opportunity Grant (York U) – Cross-cultural mentoring relationships, (2016-2017)
-
Summary:
SSHRC (collaborator role) – Organizing with the new demographic: The bidirectional influence of immigrant and bicultural employees on their organizations, (2016-2019).
-
Summary:
Minor Research Grant (York University) – Immigrant doctors in the Canadian labour force, (2015-2016)
-
Summary:
SSHRC (principal applicant) – Mentoring relationships between immigrant and local professionals (sole principal investigator) (2012-2015)
-
Summary:
SSHRC (principal applicant)– Special Call in Business and Management, Immigrant Professionals: Organizational and Personal Employment Barriers, (sole principal investigator) (2008-2011)
-
Summary:
SSHRC – Special Call in Business and Management, Re-invention of retirement: A study of Baby Boomers in two nations, (co-applicant) (2008-2011)
-
Summary:
SSHRC Knowledge Mobilization Grant – Recruitment, (Re)training, and Retention of Immigrants in the Canadian Workforce, (co-applicant, multiple contributor grant) (2008-2011)
-
Summary:
SSHRC Small Research Grant (York University) – What can job seekers do to improve their job search clarity and job search self-efficacy? (2006-2007)
Current Courses
Term | Course Number | Section | Title | Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
Winter 2025 | AP/HRM4430 3.0 | M | Career Management | BLEN |
Winter 2025 | GS/HRM7120 3.0 | M | Seminar II: Micro-HRM Research | SEMR |
Winter 2025 | GS/HRM6500 3.0 | M | Human Resources Management Effectiveness | LECT |
Upcoming Courses
Term | Course Number | Section | Title | Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
Summer 2025 | GS/HRM6500 3.0 | A | Human Resources Management Effectiveness | LECT |
Dr. Jelena Zikic received her PhD from Joseph L. Rotman School of Management at University of Toronto and before that she studied at the London School of Economics where she earned her MSc in Social and Organizational Psychology. Her program or research and expertise centers on career transitions of diverse populations (e.g., unemployed, entrepreneurs, baby boomers, migrants). In this context her studies address professional identity transitions, cross-cultural mentoring relationships, career management and coping. Currently she is studying challenge and opportunism related to labour market integration of foreign professionals. Her research focuses on career management issues by combining the individual as well as organizational perspective. She has developed part of her career internationally and is currently involved in several cross-cultural projects. At present, Dr. Zikic is working on three major projects and all three are founded by SSHRC.
In her teaching she promotes critical thinking and reflection and focuses on teaching Career Management, Strategic Human Resource Management, and Organizational Communication. Her international background and experience allow her to relate to diverse and increasingly globally minded students at York University.
Dr. Zikic has presented at numerous national and international conferences and her work appeared in journals such as Academy of Management Discoveries, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Human Relations, Journal of Vocational Behavior, and Human Resource Management Journal among others. Most recently, her work has been featured in the Globe and Mail newspaper, in CBC radio interviews and the HR Reporter. She is the recipient of the Verity International prize for the best paper and the Literati Award from the Emerald publishing for the Highly Commented Paper.
Awards and Recognition
• Invited Guest Editor to Globe and Mail’s Leadership Lab for the month of May 2022
• Invited Contributor (chosen among hundreds of academics to provide one of 15 narratives) in a unique volume on academic careers: Becoming an organizational scholar: Navigating the academic odyssey, published in 2021.
• Invited Keynote Speaker by the European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology EAWOP: When you can't be who you are: Career transitions of migrants and refugees. Turin, Italy (2019).
• All-Academy Best International Symposium Award at Academy of Management
• Comparing careers across countries: New scholarship and directions. Academy of Management Conference, Boston, MA, United States (August 2019)
• Best Symposium Award, Careers Division, AND Finalist for Best Symposium by the All-Academy International Theme Committee, Careers, and career success across national contexts. Academy of Management Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, United States (August 2018)
• Emerald Literati Award for Highly Commended Paper, Career Development International paper, co-authored with Koen et al. (2017)
• Best Symposium Award by the Careers Division, Refugees in Europe: Careers and labor market integration; Zikic, J., Invited Discussant, Academy of Management Conference, Atlanta, GA, United States (August 2017)
• Human Relations Journal- Featured Article for June 2017, Zikic & Richardson (2016)
• Nominated for the Research Award at Faculty of Liberal and Professional Studies (2015)
• Best Paper, Skilled migrants’ career capital as a source of competitive advantage: Implications for strategic HRM. International Human Resource Management Journal, by the International Human Resource Management (IHRM) Division, Scholarly Research Award Competition (2015)
• Invited Keynote speaker by the Strategic Capability Network (SCN), Jobs without people and people without Jobs: Migrant professionals, baby boomers, and strategic organizational initiatives.Toronto, ON, Canada (October 2014)
• Best Symposium Award by the Careers Division. Job search and unemployment: Integrating theories; Zikic, J., Invited Discussant. Academy of Management Conference, Montreal, QC, Canada (August 2010)
• Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research, May 2008
• Emerald Literati Award for Highly Commended Paper, 2008, for paper published in Career Development International, co-authored with Dr. Julia Richardson 2008
• Verity International Award for Overall Outstanding Paper in Management, 2008 (for paper published in the Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences, co-authored with Dr. Julia Richardson) 2008
• Best Symposium Award by the Careers Division (entitled: Questions we ask about careers of the immigrant workforce) presented at the Academy of Management in August 2008
• Best International Paper Award by the Careers Division for the paper entitled "Cracking the fortune cookies: Influencing factors in career success across 11 countries", given at the Academy of Management meeting in August 2008
• Best Reviewer Award, Careers Division, The Academy of Management Conference, Seattle, 2003
Degrees
PhD, University of TorontoMSc, London School of Economics, UK
BSc, University of Toronto
Professional Leadership
• Academy of Management (AOM) - (Organizational Behaviour, HRM, Careers Divisions) – current (since 2001)
• European Group of Organizational Studies (EGOS) – current (since 2002)
• Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) – current (since 2004)
• European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology (EAWOP) – current (since 2010)
Institutional/Academic Service to the Profession
• Academy of Management (elected positions): Global Committee Chair (OB division) 2012-2015; Representative at -Large (CAR)/Awards committee 2012-2016, Committee member/Best paper awards (HRM) 2022-2023; Mentor Careers Division 2019-ongoing
• European Group of Organizational Studies (EGOS)-past Convenor
• European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology (EAWOP) – current (since 2010); Invited Keynote Speaker 2019.
Editorships
Special Issue Editor for: Human Relations, Journal of Organizational Behavior, and Journal of World Business
Journal/Conference Reviewer
Academy of Management Journal
Journal of Vocational Behavior
Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology
Human Resources Management Journal/Review
Human Relations
Career Development International
Reviewer for the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), Impact Awards, Canada Research Chairs
Research Interests
Current Research Projects
-
Summary:
Future Skills Center (FSC) Grant- Ryerson University (principal applicant) – Exploring employer and individual perspectives on alternative careers (with Dr. Jing Wang) (2022-2023)
Project Type: Funded-
Summary:
MITACS funding – Alternative careers of skilled migrants & SME diversity (co-applicants: PhD students Soodabeh Mansoor and Marlee Mercer) (2022-2023)
Project Type: Funded-
Summary:
MITACS funding – Diversity and Inclusion: Case studies of skilled migrants in Hamilton/Halton Region in collaboration with United Way Hamilton, (co-applicant Viktoriya Voloshyna, Phd student) (2018-2019)
Project Type: Funded-
Summary:
SSHRC Insight Grant (sole principal applicant) – Skilled immigrant integration: The role of local employers and skilled immigrants in enabling successful integration, (2018-2022)
Project Type: Funded-
Summary:
SSHRC Partnership Grant – Migration and resilience in Urban Canada: Discovering strengths and building capacity (one of ten academic partners) (2016-2021)
Project Type: Funded-
Summary:
European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology (EAWOP) – Competitive Award to Lead and Organize Cross-cultural Symposium between Canada & Germany: Is Canada a model immigration nation? Bamberg, Germany (Dec. 15-16, 2016)
Project Type: Funded-
Summary:
Academic Innovation Fund Recipient: Internationalization of the Curriculum and Blended Course proposal, (2016-2018)
Project Type: Funded-
Summary:
SSHRC Partnership Grant (Migration and Resilience) (co-applicant) – Project chosen & awarded competitive GA-ship for 2017-2018 for Career Success of Migrant Professionals project.
Project Type: Funded-
Summary:
SSHRC Research Opportunity Grant (York U) – Cross-cultural mentoring relationships, (2016-2017)
Project Type: Funded-
Summary:
SSHRC (collaborator role) – Organizing with the new demographic: The bidirectional influence of immigrant and bicultural employees on their organizations, (2016-2019).
Project Type: Funded-
Summary:
Minor Research Grant (York University) – Immigrant doctors in the Canadian labour force, (2015-2016)
Project Type: Funded-
Summary:
SSHRC (principal applicant) – Mentoring relationships between immigrant and local professionals (sole principal investigator) (2012-2015)
Project Type: Funded-
Summary:
SSHRC (principal applicant)– Special Call in Business and Management, Immigrant Professionals: Organizational and Personal Employment Barriers, (sole principal investigator) (2008-2011)
Project Type: Funded-
Summary:
SSHRC – Special Call in Business and Management, Re-invention of retirement: A study of Baby Boomers in two nations, (co-applicant) (2008-2011)
Project Type: Funded-
Summary:
SSHRC Knowledge Mobilization Grant – Recruitment, (Re)training, and Retention of Immigrants in the Canadian Workforce, (co-applicant, multiple contributor grant) (2008-2011)
Project Type: Funded-
Summary:
SSHRC Small Research Grant (York University) – What can job seekers do to improve their job search clarity and job search self-efficacy? (2006-2007)
Project Type: FundedAll Publications
Current Courses
Term | Course Number | Section | Title | Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
Winter 2025 | AP/HRM4430 3.0 | M | Career Management | BLEN |
Winter 2025 | GS/HRM7120 3.0 | M | Seminar II: Micro-HRM Research | SEMR |
Winter 2025 | GS/HRM6500 3.0 | M | Human Resources Management Effectiveness | LECT |
Upcoming Courses
Term | Course Number | Section | Title | Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
Summer 2025 | GS/HRM6500 3.0 | A | Human Resources Management Effectiveness | LECT |