Determining the Moderating Role of Career Guidance in the Relationship Between Social Isolation and Job Search Self-Efficacy: A Study on University Students

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between university students' social isolation experience and job search self-efficacy. Demographic variables (gender and seniority) were examined to explain these relationships. In addition, the career guide's moderator role has been investigated on the relationship between social isolation experience and job search self-efficacy. Within the scope of the research, data were collected from 275 university students using the snowball method. The findings obtained from the sample revealed that social isolation experience was negatively related to job search self-efficacy. According to the results, there is no significant difference between men and women in terms of job search self-efficacy. This study also demonstrated that grade level is essential for explaining job search self-efficacy. Using structural equation modeling findings indicated that career guidance significantly moderated the relationship between social isolation experience and job search self-efficacy. These results suggest that feeling alone or excluded for undergraduate students may link to job search behaviors and decrease confidence in career decision-making.