3 - What Do Students Present in Job Interviews?: Student Activities during College

Presentation Abstract
This presentation aims to examine how student activities during college are related to employment in the first job. The hiring literature has shown that employers hire students based on the applicants’ CVs and job interviews. There are several theories regarding employer decisions, and what is evaluated differs depending on the institutional context (Rivera 2020). In Japan, it has been pointed out that in addition to the colleges’ selectivity, extracurricular activities during school life, such as part-time jobs and club activities, also lead to good employment. In the United States, college impact studies have also indicated that student behavior during college is important for future earnings (Hu & Wolniak 2013). However, depending on how the applicant talks about during the interview, there may be a discrepancy between the employer’s perception of the applicant’s activities and the reality. It may lead to a difference in their evaluation.
Therefore, this study clarifies what kind of activities applicants do and choose, such as hobbies, extracurricular activities, and other things that can be controlled by applicants. Specifically, I examine (1) the relationship between student activities during college and those presented in interviews, and the changes over time; and (2) the types of activities that students engage in and present that will lead to “good” employment. For analysis, this study uses the national survey conducted in Japan in 2023. This study contributes to the transition from school to work literature by providing insight into whether differences in presentation during interviews affect employment outcomes.