Career practitioners' conceptions of social media in career services

Abstract

This article reports the outcomes of a study, undertaken from a phenomenographic perspective, of career practitioners’ conceptions of social media usage in career services. Fifteen Finnish career practitioners – representing comprehensive, secondary and higher education as well as public employment services – were interviewed in focus groups. The analysis of the interview data revealed five distinct descriptive categories reflecting the career practitioners’ conceptions of social media's use in career services. Social media in career services was conceived as (1) unnecessary, (2) dispensable, (3) a possibility, (4) desirable and (5) indispensable. The results indicated associations between career practitioners’ conceptions and their practice. Moreover, the critical aspects identified in this study can be used to support the career practitioners’ understanding of new technologies in career services.

ICT – the new frontier? Pushing the boundaries of careers practice

“…At the negative end of the continuum, practitioners regard social media as a passing fad, with little or no importance to the delivery of core career services. The research study (Kettunen, et al, 2013) indicated an association between the orientation and practice of career practitioners. In career services, negative conceptions of new technology appeared to be closely linked with a 'directive' approach and to a strong preference for individual, face-to-face, or oneto-one career intervention.…”

“…Bimrose, et al, 2010;Osborn, Dikel, & Sampson, 2011). Some practitioners are not convinced of the relevance of technology in delivering career services and others do not have the skills or confidence to do so effectively (Kettunen et al, 2013). Recent research on practitioners´ experiences of social media in career services (Kettunen, Vuorinen, & Sampson, in press) indicates that new technology is not just a tool or an alternative; it is an interactive working space where collaboration, with and without practitioners, increasingly occurs and it is being recognised for its significance.…”

“…The study by Kettunen et al, (2013) emphasised the importance of understanding the orientations of career practitioners regarding their role and purpose in relation to ICT, and their technological skills. If social media is to play an increasingly important role in career services, it is necessary to support career practitioners and trainers awareness of the variation in their current ways of experiencing social media and the more advanced ways they may be moving toward so that they may optimise their competence development in the best possible way.…”

“…The use of ICT for communication with users is relatively underutilised. Research evidence indicates that young people would like greater use of texts and emails (Bimrose et al,2010) and the increasing use of social media for communication has led careers organisations to acknowledge the need to expand their understanding of new technologies and to modernise its services (Hooley, Hutchinson & Watts, 2010;Kettunen, Vuorinen & Sampson, 2013). The third purpose of ICT in careers work, developing customised materials, is probably the most under-developed currently, with considerable untapped potential for the enhancement of materials.…”

“…Five orientations have emerged from recent research, providing a basis for understanding the different ways in which career practitioners think about social media, its character, and its purpose in career services (Kettunen, et al, 2013). These varying orientations can be conceptualised on a continuum ranging from highly negative to highly positive; on one end of the spectrum is the perception that social media in career services is a threat, or a passing fad; while at one end of the spectrum it is perceived as desirable, possessing indispensable positive potential.…”