<![CDATA[Aim: This study aims to identify the psychological challenges regarding work readiness among Vocational High School (SMK) students and to formulate a theoretical reconstruction of career guidance by integrating the Prophetic Paradigm. Method: A Systematic Literature Review (SLR) methodology was employed, adhering to the PRISMA 2020 statement guidelines. Literature selection based on inclusion criteria yielded ten key documents published between 2021 and 2026, comprising nine empirical journal articles and one primary textbook establishing the theoretical foundation of the Prophetic paradigm. Result and discussions: The review results indicate that SMK student work readiness is a multidimensional construct frequently hindered by internal psychological issues, such as emotional instability, low self-awareness, anxiety regarding selection processes, and vulnerabilities in work resilience. Although various conventional psychoeducational interventions have proven effective as tactical solutions in the field, most remain secular in nature and pragmatic in aim, serving solely to meet industrial market demands. This study successfully deconstructs these conventional models by elevating career interventions into three integrative pillars: Humanization (Amar Ma'ruf) to humanize students, Liberation (Nahi Munkar) to free them from negative mental shackles, and Transcendence (Tu'minuna billah) to establish a spiritual anchor. The model offers a scholarly contribution in the form of a "transcendental work readiness" construct, which frames the process of preparing for work as an act of worship and a vertical responsibility toward God.]]>
