What are careers officers thinking of? How information cues are selected and used in careers interviews

Abstract

This paper explores the informarion-seeking practices of careers officers during careers interviews. Research in a'eciswn-making is used to establish hypotheses, with a focus on findings in the fields of heuristics, cognitive mapping and medical diagnostics. Sensitive areas for careers guidance providers in this research field are outlined. A small-scale research project is desctibed, which indicated support for several of the hypotheses. A model is suggested of how careers ojicers may elicit and use information cues in order to mentally match clients' post-16 choices against perceived opportunities. The implications for careers ojicer practice and careers sererice fundholders are discussed.

Evaluation of a Semi-Structured Career Assessment Interview Derived from Systems Theory Framework

“…This raises an important issue in terms of how the interviewer elicits information and what information they seek. Clark (1994) conducted an analysis of career counsellors' interview activities and mental processes and found that counsellors use an (unconscious) heuristic to explore the issues presented by clients. Their heuristic generates the lines of inquiry and the type of questions asked.…”

“…On the one side there is the free ranging dialogue of a totally open interview (similar to free association), and on the other side the rigid control of the set questionnaire method of a fully structured interview. Although preconceived by the interviewer, the semi-structured interview method brings some level of consistency to the interview situation and avoids any problems associated with potentially inappropriate heuristics used by counsellors, such as discussed by Clark (1994).…”

The career counselling interview

“…It has been argued that we need to accept that this is so and to look more closely at these processes. Clarke (1994), for example, has drawn on the literature on medical diagnosis to put forward some hypotheses about the way in which careers officers use information cues to make judgements about clients in interviews. She suggests that an underlying feature of many interviews is a matching process using heuristics and cognitive maps of opportunities.…”