What 47 studies found
Looking for work can feel lonely and uncertain. You send applications, and sometimes nothing comes back. It's natural to wonder whether talking to a career practitioner would make a real difference. The research suggests it can.
What the research found
In 2014, researchers Liu, Huang and Wang published a large review of job search interventions in the journal Psychological Bulletin. They pulled together 47 independent studies involving 9,575 people. Their finding: the odds of getting a job were 2.67 times higher for people who took part in a job search intervention than for people who didn't.
That doesn't mean a guarantee, and it doesn't mean 2.67 times as many people got jobs. It's a measure of odds, and it tells us that people who get support tend to be better placed to succeed. The Career Development Association of Australia (CDAA) used this research in its report, Career Development Works.
What "support" actually meant
The interventions in these studies didn't just hand people a list of vacancies. They worked on the things that lead to getting a job, such as:
building job search skills
improving how people present themselves
boosting confidence in their own abilities
encouraging people to take action
setting clear goals
drawing on other people for support
In other words, searching for a job involves much more than scanning job boards and news sites.
Where Career Tree fits
Career Tree delivers the Direct Career Service: free, one-on-one advice from qualified career practitioners. You can get help to understand your skills, explore new career opportunities, plan your next steps into work or training, look at study options, and more. Using the service will not affect the support you get from Work and Income.
A note about the research
The studies in this review were carried out in different countries, and the CDAA report is Australian, so the findings are not specific to New Zealand. They do show a consistent pattern: support makes a difference.
Ready to talk?
Book your free appointment at bookings-careertreeservice.as.me, or contact Natalie at natalie@careertree.co.nz or 0220 972 498. Eligibility applies.
Sources: Liu, S., Huang, J. L., & Wang, M. (2014), Effectiveness of job search interventions: A meta-analytic review, Psychological Bulletin, 140(4), 1009-1041. CDAA, Career Development Works.
