Job Hunting Guru Application for Students' Self Assessment

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Product Innovation: Job Hunting Guru Application for Students’

Self Assessment

Jennifer binti Sukor @ John^1*, Lynne anak Collin¹, Larry Cassidy anak Banta², Melor Md. Yunus³

1 General Studies Department, Mukah Polytechnic, Sarawak, Malaysia

2 General Studies Unit, Beaufort Community College, Sabah, Malaysia

3 Centre of Innovation in Teaching & Learning, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia

*Corresponding Author: jade7877@gmail.com Accepted: 15 February 2022 | Published: 1 March 2022

DOI:https://doi.org/10.55057/ijares.2022.4.1.9

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Abstract: The DUE50032 Communicative English III course is one of the required courses for all polytechnic students. Topic 2: Job Hunting Mechanics is the specific topic (in the course) emphasised in the creation of this innovation material. This innovative material, Job Hunting Guru, was created to aid course lecturers in ensuring that the assessment (coursework) for job hunting mechanics is conducted properly and evenly to all students. The usage of smartphone applications has become a widespread channel utilised in all forms of training, as well as one of the key themes in the construction of polytechnic educational systems. It can convey helpful and vital content while also serving as one of the delivery materials in integrated teaching and learning sessions or online. It is strengthened further by increasing student involvement in smartphone application usage and encouraging active learning sessions through the combination of smartphone application and polytechnic system- provided e-learning platform. Course reviewers will learn how to hunt for a job, prepare for a job interview, and analyse rubrics for simulated suitable employment by comparing students as a reference point in this Job Hunting Guru Application. When students must achieve specific criteria in order to pass a job interview simulation assessment, this standard-based assessment approach is acceptable. Furthermore, this application provides as an additional guidance and reference for pupils when performing self-assessment.

Keywords: job hunting mechanics, application, employment, self assessment, e-learning ___________________________________________________________________________

1. Introduction

It is critical to find work that you can do well, that has meaning, and, yes, that you can enjoy.

Consider that once you get a job, you may be working eight or more hours a day. That's a significant portion of your life! You'll want to take advantage of it as much as possible. People used to get a job right out of high school and stay with it until they retired. Those days are no longer with us. People today must be quick to spot new career prospects, preferably before they are obliged to do so. Using internet tools like LinkedIn, Jobstreet, Civil Service Commission (SPA) you may expand your network to include friends of friends. The more people you know, the more likely you are to learn about fresh prospects. The job search entails more than simply locating a job posting that matches your qualifications. This step of planning helps you to gather the information and language you'll need to be a strong candidate. As you begin the process of seeking for and looking for employment in your chosen profession, consider your

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education, technical skills, and the experiences and qualities that make you a great employee and coworker. This self-evaluation is the cornerstone for creating sustainable job materials.

2. Literature Review

Researchers have paid attention towards the brought up of different self-assessment tools and applications which are used by different people in terms of shaping their job behaviors as well as to find a suitable job as per their respective profile. In this regard, it has been assessed in the research compiled by Dillahunt et al. (2018) that self-assessment is very important considering the pre-employment aspects. For this reason, the researchers have employed an empirical analysis in terms of analyzing the impact of self-assessment applications and tools on the completion of job search by the individuals. The results of the study showed that self- assessment tools and applications used by the students certainly find their desired jobs;

however, it is also not necessary that these tools help them in attaining their desired jobs in the limited time because these tools and applications can assist the students in terms of practicing the job essentials. It has further been characterized in the research accompanied by Margolies et al. (2017) that self-evaluations mainly handle the individual features of a person, mainly the students and help them to structure their core facets to be attained and to search for the suitable jobs for them.

There are various vital elements which are essential to be considered while referring for a job role in a firm such as the structuring of the curriculum vitae, resume, and the cover letter as well. These elements have been researched by Helens-Hart (2019) and evaluate how the students use self-evaluation tools or self-assessment applications to understand the typical and complex job features. From the practical point of view, it has been assessed in the study that these applications and tools are designed to fulfill the actual requirements of the students while they experience during the search for a job. On the other hand, it has been comprehended in the research combined by Gabor et al. (2019) that there is a direct relationship between the self- assessment tools as well as application and the job searching behavior. It is due to the fact that the self-assessment and self-evaluation tools and application support the students in understanding their strengths and weaknesses in a detailed manner which also helps them to start their careers with fewer errors. It has also been seen that there are many students who perceive self-assessment tests and applications useful because these interventions are successful in terms of strengthening the personal resources of the unemployed people.

Moreover, it has also been apprehended in the exploration conducted by Harwood et al. (2019) that it is not indispensable every time to ensure that students get their desired jobs with the help of carrying out their self-assessments through different self-evaluation applications and tools because these apps are required to assist the students who are found unaware of the employment characteristics and the necessary elements as well. However, these apps and tools are not aligned to transform the skills acquired by the respective students who try to get the advantages of the self-assessment tools and applications. Furthermore, it has been identified in the study done by Pop & Khampirat (2019) that employability is a major concern in the existing scenarios; however, the study has been employed by using both the quantitative and qualitative research methods in order to evaluate that how the skills-assessment innovative tools are necessary for supporting the employability mainly in shaping the careers of the students. It has also been featured in the research that quality of employment offerings because the tools and applications designed for the self-assessment of the students support them in regards to further polish their skills by understanding their core vital characteristics of their individual personalities.

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Andragogical Theory

In regards to the theory of andragogy, adult learning practices are seen as slightly different as the learning employed by the children. It is basically a theory related to adult learning; however, this theory also reflects some major ways through which the adults learn in a different manner than the children. There are five major assumptions as prescribed in this theory of adult learning which is also known as andragogical theory. These assumptions include self-conception, past learning experiences, willingness to learn, practical reasons to learn, and internal motivations aligned with the practical aspects of learning. All of these assumptions can be noticed among the adult learners because of the reason that children do not tend to follow their self-conceptions due to the fact that they perceive what they used to see. There are four principles linked with the adult learning theory. The first principle is that adults are seen as self-directed for which they should have their own thinking in the process of learning; the second principle is that adults should focus on adding value in their past learning while the third principle refers to that their content of practical learning should be linked with their work as well as personal life. The fourth principle is that learning is needed to be centered to solve the issues not to just follow the memorizing the content (Loeng, 2018).

Figure 1: Knowles’ Five Assumptions of Adult Learners

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Figure 2: Four Principles of Andragogy

Connectivism Theory

According to the theory of connectivism, it refers to the students by suggesting that they are subjected to combine their thoughts and general information along with the theories in a useful manner for which technology plays an important part to acquire such steps. There are eight fundamental principles of the connectivism theory such as the first principle is that diversity of opinions are the base of learning and knowledge while the second principle refers to the connectivity which is essential in the learning process. Third principle is about to refer towards the technology or the non-human appliances as to conduct the learning; however, the fourth principle referred that learning is comparatively more critical than just knowing whereas nurturing and maintenance are two vital elements required for continual learning as the fifth basic principle. Sixth principle states that learners also possess a core skill according to which they see connections among fields, ideas, and conceptions. As per the seventh principle, accuracy is the key to connectivist learning and the last principle indicates decision-making as a learning process (Downes, 2019).

3. Methodology

The participants in this study are 43 diploma students from a variety of areas enrolled in Semester 3 and 4 at one of Sarawak's polytechnics who took DUE50032, Communicative English 3. Twenty male and twenty three female students between the ages of 19 and 21 participated. The study's participants were picked at random. These individuals were selected based on observations made throughout the teaching and learning session, during which it was determined that their knowledge of the targeted topic is deficient. As a result, this study was conducted with the objective of enhancing their written and spoken communication abilities through the use of the 'Job Hunting Guru Application.' The Google form was used to distribute the survey on the application's effectiveness. SPSS software is then used to produce the data.

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Tables and Figures Frequencies

Frequency Percent

Valid Percent

Cumulative Percent

Valid Male 20 46.5 46.5 46.5

Female 23 53.5 53.5 100.0

Total 43 100.0 100.0

Table 1: Gender of the Respondents

Frequency Percent

Valid Percent

Cumulative Percent

Valid Diploma in Mechanical engineering

22 51.2 51.2 51.2

Diploma in civil engineering

1 2.3 2.3 53.5

Mechanical engineering 2 4.7 4.7 58.1

Diploma in accounting 18 41.9 41.9 100.0

Total 43 100.0 100.0

Table 2: Course of the Respondents

As per the table 1 and table 2, frequencies of gender and course have been mentioned and presented. Considering table 1, it has been presented that there were 43 total respondents who took part in the survey. With respect to the survey statements, it has been found that 20 male respondents and 23 female respondents played their part in completing the overall research process. It has also been observed that female respondents were greater than the male respondents. Table 2 represents that there were 43 students from different educational backgrounds such as 51.2 percent respondents were from diploma in mechanical engineering, 2.3 were from diploma in civil engineering, 4.7 were from mechanical engineering, and 41.9 were from diploma in accounting.

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Descriptive Statistics

N

Minimu

m Maximum Mean

Std.

Deviation The application is easy to use. 43 1.00 5.00 4.5116 .85557 The content is easy to comprehend. 43 1.00 5.00 4.5116 .88296

The application contains all the information that I need.

43 2.00 5.00 4.5581 .66556

The Job Hunting Guru application helped me in writing my resume easily.

43 2.00 5.00 4.6279 .65550

The application provides all the information I need for applying for a job.

43 2.00 5.00 4.5814 .66306

The application helped me to organise my resume details better.

43 2.00 5.00 4.5814 .66306

The application helped me to write a better cover letter.

43 3.00 5.00 4.6047 .58308

The application has provided useful interview tips.

43 3.00 5.00 4.6279 .57831

I will keep on using this tool as my reference for job hunting in the future.

43 3.00 5.00 4.6047 .58308

How would you rate the application? 43 3.00 5.00 4.7209 .54883

Valid N (listwise) 43

Table 3: Descriptive Statistics

Table 3 is representing the descriptive statistics estimated from the given responses of the respondents for the questionnaire given to them. According to Baarda et al. (2019), minimum value in the descriptive statistics is subjected to the strongly disagree while the maximum value is aligned to the strongly agree. Therefore, table 3 has been analyzed as per the above assumptions cited such as if the mean value represents the value close to 5 then it means that respondents strongly agree to the statement while if the value is close to 1 then it certainly means that the respondent strongly disagreed with the statement given.

On the other hand, it is essential to commence an individual analysis for each of the statements in the survey questionnaire. Coming to the first statement, it has been found that the mean value showed 4.5 which is likely to show that respondents believed that the application is easy to be used. For the second statement, the mean value is 4.5 and it basically represents the perceptions of the respondents about the ‘Job Hunting Guru Application’ that it is convenient for them to comprehend the content of the application. Moving on, the respondents also showed that they strongly agreed that the application contains all the information that they particularly need for their job search by referring to the mean value close to 5. It has also been believed by both female and male respondents that Job Hunting Guru Application is very helpful for them in

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terms of writing and completing their resume for job search as mean value showing the value 4.6. The respective application has also been found useful for the respondents as it offers all the required information related to applying for a job. On the other hand, it has comprehended by respondents in the form of mean value close to 5 that the respective application actually organizes all of their resume details in a much better ways as compared to the casual ways of compiling the resume; however, it has also been noticed that respondents are also satisfied with the application as it also offers assistance in writing a better cover letter. Interview tips can also be gotten with the help of the respective application as per the responses of the survey. In regards to the job hunting, respondents were subjected to the fact that they would use this application for their future searching for which they found strongly agreed to the given statement while they also rated ‘Job Hunting Guru Application’ as a perfect organizer of all their job searching issues.

4. Conclusion

Discussion of the Results

As per the results of the study, it has been observed that respondents believed that a self- assessment application such as ‘Job Hunting Guru Application’ is very important in the process of job hunting because it assists them to correct their flaws in making their resumes and other necessary documentation in a detailed and understandable manner. Similarly, the research cited in the literature review by Helens-Hart (2019) also reflected the fact that self-assessment and self-evaluation applications are designed to identify the mistakes in the resumes and cover letters of the students and the people who come in the process of searching for the right job.

The study also suggested that these self-assessment applications are likely to present the information of the students in a practical manner so that the employers can easily understand the features of that particular individual related to the job description.

Moreover, Harwood et al. (2019) mentioned the significance of the self-assessment applications and tools in order to organize the people according to the job requirements. It has been assessed in the study that interviews are one of the major steps in acquiring the job for which the self-assessment applications are likely to support the students because they are unaware of the employment world and the tactics use to handle the everyday situation;

therefore, these applications help them in the form of apprehending them the tips and solutions of many of the issues they can face during their interview. In the similar manner, the results of the represent research also supported the arguments made in the above cited research because the findings have also supported the arguments made in the above cited research because the findings have also showns that ‘Job Hunting Guru Application’ which is also a self assessment application is helpful in terms of giving required information before the interview.

Conclusions

After reviewing the results and the past research, it can be concluded that job search is an important and imperative stage in the career of a student for which the designed applications and tools of self-assessment show immense help and assistance to the students mainly because they are seen as new in the employment surrounding. In the start of the practical and professional career, students are unaware about how to design their resumes and other necessary documents and how to present themselves in front of interviewers for which the applications like Job Hunting Guru Application help a lot.

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