Abstract
The rapid expansion of online job interviews during the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to continue after the pandemic has subsided. These interviews are a significant barrier for individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). There is little evidence-based training for online job interviews for individuals with ASD, and the development of new trainings is expected. In an effort to facilitate online job interview skill acquisition for individuals with ASD, we developed a group-based online job interview training program using a virtual robot (GOT). In GOT, the interviewer and interviewee are projected as virtual robots on the screen. Five participants were grouped and performed the role of interviewee, interviewer, and evaluator. The participants performed all roles in a random order. Each session consisted of a first job interview session, feedback session, and second job interview session. The participants experienced 25 sessions. Before and after GOT, the participants underwent a mock online job interview with a human professional interviewer (MOH) to evaluate the effect of GOT. In total, 15 individuals with ASD took part in the study. The GOT improved self-confidence, motivation, the understanding of others' perspectives, verbal competence, non-verbal competence, and interview performance scores. There was also a significant increase in the recognition of the importance of the point of view of interviewers and evaluators after the second MOH compared to after the first MOH. Using a VR robot and learning the importance of interview skills by experiencing other perspectives (i.e., viewpoint of interviewer and evaluator) may have sustained their motivation and enabled greater self-confidence. Given the promising results of this study and to draw definitive conclusions regarding the efficacy of virtual reality (VR) robots for mock online job interview training, further studies with larger, more diverse samples of individuals with ASD using a longitudinal design are warranted.
Highlights
Coronavirus (COVID-19) has slowed things worldwide, but it has not deterred companies from looking for new hires
We found that interpersonal tension is high during online interviews for individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and that they have low motivation to work in a real online job interview setting
All participants fully participated in the GOT and seemed to be focused on and engaged in the mock online job interview training using robots
Summary
Coronavirus (COVID-19) has slowed things worldwide, but it has not deterred companies from looking for new hires. A host of companies are turning to online job interviews, as they are compelled to cancel in-person meetings amid the spread of the new coronavirus. These interviews reduce transportation costs, accelerate the interview process, and allow hiring managers to interview non-local candidates. Job interviews are significant barriers for individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) [1, 2] These individuals struggle with verbal communication and to convey job-relevant interview content, and they have low self-confidence in their ability to perform in a job interview [3]. Verbal and non-verbal communication still occur during online job interviews Given these factors, it is natural that individuals with ASD are not good at online or in-person job interviews. There is little research into the use of online job interviews and evidence-based training for online job interviews for individuals with ASD, and the development of new trainings is expected
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
