The Educational Credentials Hypothesis and the Role of Communication Skills in Job Opportunities for Japanese University Students

DOI Web Site

Bibliographic Information

Other Title
  • 大卒就職機会における学校歴仮説とコミュニケーション能力
  • 大卒就職機会における学校歴仮説とコミュニケーション能力 : インターネット・パネル調査による計量分析の試み
  • ダイソツ シュウショク キカイ ニ オケル ガッコウレキ カセツ ト コミュニケーション ノウリョク : インターネット ・ パネル チョウサ ニ ヨル ケイリョウ ブンセキ ノ ココロミ
  • ――A Quantitative Analysis Using an Online Panel Survey――
  • ――インターネット・パネル調査による計量分析の試み――

Search this article

Abstract

<p>With regard to job opportunities for Japanese university students, the educational credentials hypothesis, which emphasizes that students from higher-ranked universities are more likely to become employees of larger companies, has been supported. Previous empirical studies in Japan have supported this hypothesis: whether students are hired by larger companies is significantly affected by the rank of their universities, regardless of other control variables. However, despite the importance given to students’ communication skills as a factor in their employment potentials, these skills have not been included in the empirical explanatory models. We would like to understand the role of students’ communication skills in the hypothesis. We required a panel survey to comprehend students’ communication skills prior to their employment search. We conducted an online panel survey at two time periods: the spring of 2015 when students were seniors in universities and the following spring when most of them started working after graduation. We received information from 212 students on the universities they attended, their communication skills as measured by their assertiveness scores, outcomes of their employment search after a year, and more. The results obtained using multivariable analysis for 156 students show that regardless of the students’ assertiveness scores and the control variables, university rank had the biggest impact on the probability of being hired by larger firms or the civil service. In addition, the results show that the students’ assertiveness scores had less impact after controlling for university rank or students’ club activities. These findings imply that the educational credentials hypothesis is still supported regardless of students’ communication skills and that Japanese employers evaluate the skills through more visible or objective information such as university rank or club activities. The latter empirically reinforces the signaling theory (Spence 1974), that employers receive a signal about a students’ potential ability through his or her visible or objective credential.</p>

Journal

  • SOSHIOROJI

    SOSHIOROJI 62 (3), 3-20, 2018-02-01

    SHAKAIGAKU KENKYUKAI

Related Projects

See more

Keywords

Details 詳細情報について

Report a problem

Back to top