Gregory Reddan (2008). The benefits of job-search seminars and mock interviews in a work experience course. Asia-Pacific Journal of Cooperative Education, 9(2), 113-127.
Prior research indicates that some form of career development program is essential to prepare undergraduate students for a competitive employment market. This research examined the benefits gained by students in preparation for the workforce following a program of job-search seminars and mock interviews. The study revealed that the students perceived the program produced significant increases, as indicated by changes in mean scores obtained on the Measure of Guidance Impact (Killeen, 1992). Pre- and post-mean scores of 79.2 and 98.0 were reported, compared with norm values of 82.5 and 93.4. This improvement in mean scores demonstrated the effectiveness of the program, compared with results obtained on a large-scale survey. Students indicated a low participation rate (15%) in voluntary job-search seminars, emphasizing the importance of including these seminars as a required course component in university programs. Generally, participants reported a favorable attitude to the job-search seminars and accompanying printed booklets. The subjects identified a number of benefits as a result of participating in mock interviews, as well as being a member of the interview panel. Overall, the students perceived they had developed a reasonably high level of confidence in preparation for "real-world" scenarios.