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Online Career Assessment: Matching Profiles and Training Programs
Bryan Dik, Ph.D.
Kurt Kraiger, Ph.D.
Overview• The problem• One solution: The Virtual Workforce Assessment Network
• What is it? • How it works
• Phase 1 pilot test of V-WAN effectiveness• Study overview• Results• Next steps
• Future possibilities
The Problem• Retention
• Nationally, only half finish or transfer within 6 years• In Colorado, fewer than 1 in 4 full-time community college students
complete a degree within 3 years
• Career development needs• Vocational psychology research points to a high percentage of
adults showing a need for: -career direction-assistance with identifying and pursuing training needs
• What might cause these problems?• Incomplete or inaccurate knowledge of the self, opportunities in the
world of work, and of how to design and implement a career plan• Low self-efficacy, few resources for coping with career challenges
One Solution: The Virtual Workforce Assessment Network (V-WAN)
What is it? • Empirically supported, free, user-friendly career planning tool• Provides a battery of career assessments online• Creates personalized psychological profiles that integrate interests,
values, personality, and self-estimated abilities and skills• Recommends occupations predicted to be a good fit
How does it work?
How does V-WAN work?
Using V-WAN in Community Colleges
Purpose of the FIPSE grant:• Customize V-WAN for the community college context• Test its effectivenessCustomization:• Links recommended occupations to Plans of Study at the
community college in which the user is enrolled
Pilot Test of V-WAN Effectiveness (Phase 1)
Study Design: Experiment using Randomized Clinical Trial
(RCT) methodology
Three conditions were compared:
1. V-WAN only
2. V-WAN plus brief workshop
3. Control group
V-WAN Workshop• Brief (90 minutes)• Facilitated by counselors using a manual (script)• Designed to address questions and promote deeper
exploration in a supportive environment• Developed with attention to “critical ingredients” found in
effective career development interventions• Personalized assessment information• Provision of accurate occupational information• Written goal-setting exercises• Strategies for building support• Effective modeling
Procedure
Students at two Colorado community colleges were contacted via e-mail and flyers• Offered a modest financial incentive• Randomly assigned to conditions• Administered surveys before (pre) and after (post) the
intervention period
Participants
N = 120 for Phase 1• Gender: 73.1% women• Age: Mean = 29.96 years (SD = 10.96), range of 18-55• Race/ethnicity: 60.2% White/European American
12.9% Latina/o 5.4% Asian/Pacific Islander 5% Black/Afr. Amer., Amer. Indian, other
• Year in School: 75% in first or second year
Pre- and Post- Instruments
Wide range of career development attitudes were assessed: • Career optimism
• Career adaptability
• Career locus of control
• Satisfaction with academic major
• Career decision-making difficulties
• Sense of career as a calling
• Career decision self-efficacy
Post-intervention ResultsCareer Decision Self-Efficacy (F=3.83, p<.05, partial η2=.064)
3.6
3.65
3.7
3.75
3.8
3.85
3.9
3.95
VWAN+workshop(a)
VWAN-only (a,b) Control (b)
CA
RE
ER
DE
CIS
ION
SE
LF
-EF
FIC
AC
Y
Post-intervention ResultsCareer Adaptability (F=3.12, p<.05, partial η2=.053)
3.85
3.9
3.95
4
4.05
4.1
4.15
4.2
VWAN+workshop(a)
VWAN-only (a,b) Control (b)
CA
RE
ER
AD
AP
TAB
ILIT
Y
Post-intervention ResultsSense of Calling (F=4.70, p<.05, partial η2=.099)
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
3.5
3.6
3.7
3.8
3.9
4
4.1
VWAN+workshop(a)
VWAN-only (b) Control (b)
SE
NS
E O
F C
AL
LIN
G
Results SummaryAt the post-intervention period, students in the V-WAN + workshop condition reported greater career decision self-efficacy, career adaptability, and sense of calling than students in the control condition.
• Differences found for other outcomes were not significant
Take-home messages from initial pilot
• The V-WAN + workshop intervention produced moderate to large effects on three key outcomes, compared to a control group.
• All three outcomes have been shown in vocational psychology research to have robust associations with career development progress and success
• The workshop appears to magnify and enhance the impact of V-WAN alone.
• Consistent with other intervention research • May be due to deeper engagement with results, or working alliance with workshop facilitator
Limitations and Next Steps• Further research is needed with a larger sample and more
sufficient statistical power
• Would allow more sensitive tests of V-WAN impact on all outcomes • Would allow a test of demographic (e.g., gender, race/ethnicity) and other variables as potential moderators of V-WAN effectiveness
• Longitudinal research will examine the duration and extent of V-WAN’s impact on career outcomes.
• Further research is needed on ways to modify V-WAN to deliver benefits similar to V-WAN + workshop
Future of V-WAN• Enhance the quality and depth of feedback provided • Add new interactive features and exercises to encourage deeper engagement with assessment feedback • Test additional ways of augmenting V-WAN (e.g., distance counseling)
• Further develop matching potential • from students with occupations to job seekers with employers • could streamline the recruitment and hiring process, providing a win-win for students on the job market and organizations looking
to hire
