The current article deals with the antecedents that generate a phenomenon of a mismatch between an academic graduates' field of education and their occupational field (horizontal mismatch). The two examined antecedents were the individuals' career history and their "career identity" level. It has been found that (a) the more expansive the individual's layoff history, the greater their horizontal mismatch level, and (b) the higher the individual's career identity level, the lower their horizontal mismatch level. This emphasizes the importance for academic individuals regarding investing in specific competencies, skills, and abilities throughout their career, to aid in career success.