Teaching Job-Seeking Skills to Learning Disabled Adolescents: An Experimental Analysis and Social Validation

Abstract

Procedures designed to teach the skills involved in completing an employment application and resume writing were evaluated with three learning disabled adolescents using a multiple-baseline design. Training involved reading instructional materials, practicing skills on sets of application materials to a criterion performance, and trainer feedback during and after each practice trial . Results showed that training was effective in teaching resume writing and employment application completion skills. Rating data obtained from potential employers suggest that training was effective in improving the appearance and content of the application materials. In addition, the employers viewed applicants as better qualified for employment after training and stated that they were more likely to invite the applicants in for a job interview. The study demonstrates an effective method of training job-seeking skills and for assessing the impact of training on employers' perception of the applicants.