Teaching Virtual Job Interview Skills to College Students With IDD Using Literacy-Based Behavioral Interventions

College students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) face challenges searching for jobs, often lacking communication and social skills needed during formal interviews. The COVID-19 pandemic complicates interviews, forcing students to search online and attend virtual interviews. This study used a multiple probe design across participants to examine the acquisition of literacy-based behavioral interventions (LBBIs) on virtual job interviews. Using a video conference platform, students answered interview questions from researchers acting as employers. LBBIs were customized, incorporating students’ input. Results indicated that LBBIs were effective for teaching and maintaining virtual job interview skills, and across novel employers. The findings have implications for using LBBIs to teach virtual job interview skills to students with IDD, and for researchers including these students in remote instruction.

Virtual interview training for autistic transition age youth: A randomized controlled feasibility and effectiveness trial

Autistic transition age youth struggle with obtaining employment, and interviewing is a critical barrier to getting a job. We adapted an efficacious virtual reality job interview intervention to meet the needs of autistic transition age youth, called the Virtual Interview Training for Transition Age Youth. This study evaluated whether Virtual Interview Training for Transition Age Youth can be feasibly delivered in high school special education settings and whether Virtual Interview Training for Transition Age Youth improves job interview skills, job interview self-efficacy, job interview anxiety, and access to employment. Forty-eight autistic transition age youth received school-based pre-employment services as usual with Virtual Interview Training for Transition Age Youth, while 23 autistic transition age youth received services as usual only. Local teachers trained and supervised autistic transition age youth using Virtual Interview Training for Transition Age Youth. Participants reported Virtual Interview Training for Transition Age Youth was highly acceptable. Participants receiving services as usual and Virtual Interview Training for Transition Age Youth, compared to participants receiving services as usual only, had better job interview skills and lower job interview anxiety as well as greater access to jobs. Overall, Virtual Interview Training for Transition Age Youth appears to be effective at teaching job interview skills that are associated with accessing competitive jobs. Moreover, youth enjoyed Virtual Interview Training for Transition Age Youth and teachers feasibly implemented the tool within special education pre-employment transition services. Future research needs to better understand how autistic transition age youth from culturally diverse backgrounds and different social, behavioral, or mental health challenges may respond to Virtual Interview Training for Transition Age Youth. Lay abstract Autistic transition age youth struggle with obtaining employment, and interviewing is a critical barrier to getting a job. We adapted an efficacious virtual reality job interview intervention to meet the needs of autistic transition age youth, called the Virtual Interview Training for Transition Age Youth. This study evaluated whether Virtual Interview Training for Transition Age Youth can be feasibly delivered in high school special education settings and whether Virtual Interview Training for Transition Age Youth improves job interview skills, job interview self-efficacy, job interview anxiety, and access to employment. Forty-eight autistic transition age youth received school-based pre-employment services as usual with Virtual Interview Training for Transition Age Youth, while 23 autistic transition age youth received services as usual only. Local teachers trained and supervised autistic transition age youth using Virtual Interview Training for Transition Age Youth. Participants reported Virtual Interview Training for Transition Age Youth was highly acceptable. Participants receiving services as usual and Virtual Interview Training for Transition Age Youth, compared to participants receiving services as usual only, had better job interview skills and lower job interview anxiety as well as greater access to jobs. Overall, Virtual Interview Training for Transition Age Youth appears to be effective at teaching job interview skills that are associated with accessing competitive jobs. Moreover, youth enjoyed Virtual Interview Training for Transition Age Youth and teachers feasibly implemented the tool within special education pre-employment transition services. Future research needs to better understand how autistic transition age youth from culturally diverse backgrounds and different social, behavioral, or mental health challenges may respond to Virtual Interview Training for Transition Age Youth.

Efficacy of Virtual Commmunication Training for Psychological Support to Unemployed: Randomized Controlled Trial

Practice in job interview skills is an important step toward successful employment of unemployed. The purpose of the study was to assess the effectiveness of the virtual communicative training developed by us in interviewing skills training of the unemployed with the employer. Participants were randomized into control (n=16) and experimental (n=18) con- ditions. We have created software “Virtual Recruiter” that provides an experience with which job seekers can systematically improve their job interview skills and increase their confidence about going on job interviews. We assessed the efficacy of virtual commmunicative training in a randomized controlled trial. Both groups completed pre-and post-intervention role-play interviews and psychological willingness to job interview questionnaires. Experimental group participants significantly reduced their heart rates and significantly increased their psychological willingness to job interview on the role-play at follow-up compared with baseline (p<0,01). Control group participants had no significant changes in their heart rates and their psychological willingness to job interview (p>0,05). Future research may help to clarify whether this virtual commmunicative training is related to an increase in finding a job. This work was supported by The Ministry of Education and Science of Russian Federation and was prepared as a part of a state task in scientific research area: project № 25.1815.2014/К of 11.07.2014 “Creating virtual experimental models of social interaction between human and psychosocial information environment to organize psychological support for various categories of population”.

Teaching Job Interviewing Skills With the Help of Television Shows

Because of its potential for humor and drama, job interviewing is frequently portrayed on television. This article discusses how scenes from popular television series such as Everybody Loves Raymond , Friends , and The Mary Tyler Moore Show can be used to teach effective job interview skills in business communication courses. Television episodes may be used to examine in detail topics commonly covered in textbook discussions of job interviewing, such as attire, behavior, and interview questions; they may also be used to explore topics not typically addressed, such as gender issues and involvement of family members. The use of appropriate television scenes can enhance the job interviewing unit by attracting the students’ attention and generating productive class discussion. The article also provides an overview of the relevant U.S. legality issues.