The successful creation of psychological contracts among young professionals entering the workforce is crucial, especially in today's volatile labor market affected by demographic shifts, globalization, and technological advancements, which impact human resource practices. While research has examined employees’ beliefs about mutual obligations with their employer to learn about turnover intentions or organizational commitment, few have focused on initial, rudimentary psychological contracts, especially for workforce newcomers. Typically studied within organizational contexts (internal), psychological contracts lack understanding of societal and historical impacts (external) that alter employee’s perceptions. This study explores the complex environment influencing how young professionals create psychological contract expectations toward their first employer. Qualitative data from 32 apprentices in Germany reveal that external influences shape the dynamics of psychological contracts more than organizational agents, particularly because expectations revolve around career, education and knowledge transfer. Work history clarifies beliefs, with more experienced employees having firmer beliefs about employment conditions. These findings extend the concept of the psychological contract by not only emphasizing the crucial role of contextual factors, but also by highlighting that young professionals already anticipate expectations towards future potential employers during their first work experience. The study offers practical recommendations for human resources professionals on how to organize integration processes, from preboarding to onboarding and careerboarding. Such practices can increase employee engagement and retention, thus fostering stronger employer-employee relationships in a changing world of work.
