Career information seeking behavior of Croatian psychology students: preliminary data

Abstract

Adaptation to job market requirements can be easier if one possesses adequate skills and uses reliable career information sources. Psychology students have a broad spectrum of skills; however, little is known about their career information seeking behavior. The main goal of the study was to identify sources of career-related information that Croatian psychology students use and to determine their level of satisfaction with the sources, perception of trustworthiness of and accessibility to those sources. These characteristics are important determinants of sources prolonged use. A pencil-paper study was conducted on a sample of 337 psychology students. The main findings are: 1) students on average use 6 career information sources, with friends and immediate family members being dominant; 2) students are the most satisfied with practitioners, who are also trusted the most; 3) Students do not perceive any information source as highly available to them. The present study gives a first insight into career information seeking behavior of Croatian psychology students. Hopefully, more studies and practical implications will follow. Keywords: career development, information seeking behavior, psychology students, sources of career-related information