Behavioral Assessment of Job‐Related Skills

Abstract

An important aspect of finding and retaining employment is a person's level of occupational skills. Little information, however, is currently available on the comparative levels of job‐related skills among both unemployed and successfully‐employed adults. This study, using direct‐observation techniques, analyzes the occupational skills of these two groups. The results show that employed adults performed significantly better than unemployed adults on each of 13 job‐related skills assessed. These differences were found for both job‐finding and job‐retention skills. These assessment methods may be useful to employment counselors interested in helping their clients find and retain satisfactory employment.

Social Skills Training To Improve Job Maintenance

“…Further research is needed to determine if this type of training will be helpful to others who have difficulty maintaining jobs. Recent research has found the chronically unemployed to be deficient in vocational interpersonal skills (Mathews et al, 1981). Further research could also determine whether training for the chronically unemployed that focuses on the skills needed to maintain a job would be a useful addition to training that focuses on the skills needed to find a job (e.g., Azrin & Besalel, 1980).…”

“…These critical behaviors are primarily social skills, with 10 of the 13 involving social interactions. Subsequent research has indicated that unemployed persons are deficient in these skills (Mathews, Whang, & Fawcett, 1981).…”

Reliability and Validity of a Simple Measure for Assessing the Social Skills of People with Schizophrenia Necessary for Seeking and Securing a Job

“…In addition, Calabrese and Hawkins (1988) devised a measure to assess social behaviour at work while conducting job-related social skills training with female prisoners. Mathews, Whang, and Fawcett (1981) also described an occupational skills assessment instrument for measuring job-related skills of normal adults. However, among the instruments, none is designed in a way that has considered the special needs and problems of people who have schizophrenia.…”

Teaching Mildly Handicapped Students Social Skills in Secondary Settings

“…A need for social skills training programs that include social skills essential for successful employment currently exists. Mathews, Whang, and Fawcett (1981) identified 13 jobrelated social skills, including accepting suggestions from an employer, providing constructive criticism, and explaining a problem to a supervisor; more efforts in this direction are needed. It is hoped that special educators who serve older mildly handicapped students will use the evaluation checklist included in this article to identify a social skills training program that can be integrated into the existing secondary curriculum.…”