LEVEL OF CAREER PREPAREDNESS AMONG THE GRADUATING

CLASS OF COLLEGE OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT AND

ACCOUNTANCY: BASIS FOR INTERVENTION
CLemenso, CriseLda A.
BSA 1A

INTRODUCTION

In comparison to previous generations in history, thousands to millions of graduates and

undergraduates worldwide are becoming more highly qualified. This was only feasible, because
of institutions for higher education are factories which manufacture skilled human resources
through imparting, creating and disseminating knowledge and providing advanced education in a
wide range of areas (Siddiky & Akter, 2021). Nevertheless, after graduation, one of the most
significant challenges a fresh graduate may face is selecting an appropriate profession and career
path that fits his enrolled program.

According to the study by Garca-Aracil et al. (2021) titled "Students' Perceptions of Their
Preparedness for Transition to Work after Graduation," students were asked to self-assess their
academic experience by looking at their academic engagement and the knowledge and
competencies they developed during their study. They were also asked to self-assess their
preparedness for the transition to the world of work. In terms of academic engagement, they
discover that they believe taking part in lectures and the caliber of group projects have a positive
impact on their readiness for work, whereas regular attendance at lectures appears to have a
negative impact on their perceptions of readiness. The findings also demonstrate that
methodological and employability competences, along with practical and theoretical material,
have a favorable effect on students' perceptions of their level of readiness for the transition to the
workplace. In order to better prepare graduates for the transition to the workforce, learning
experiences that promote methodological and practical abilities, together with more shared
career-related experience and employability skills, may be encouraged.
According to the study of Gevana et al. (2021), entitled "Career Preparedness and
Employability Skills of Hospitality Students" results showed that the career preparedness and
employability skills of the respondents are at a high level suggesting that the measures of both
variables are often manifested. The findings of the study also revealed that career preparedness is
correlated with and has significant influence on employability skills. When independently
regressed, it was found that the generic skills of career preparedness best influences
employability skills.
According to the study of Suvedi (2016) entitled "How prepared are undergraduates for
a career?” seniors who participated in the survey perceived that their coursework and
departmental/school services contributed moderately to considerably to attaining their learning
outcomes and their perceptions of career preparedness improved over the years. Knowledge
applicable to their anticipated career path received the highest perception ratings; diversity and
computer technology and database research skills received the lowest ratings. Students with
research experience felt more prepared for a job, but those with a specialization felt the opposite.
Females perceived themselves to be more competent than males in teamwork; students from
rural farming backgrounds reported having lower critical thinking, problem-solving and verbal
communication skills. Overall, the contribution of undergraduate education to career
preparedness learning outcomes was positive.
According to Andini & Lukito (2022), the work readiness of final-year students showed
the quality of available human resources. This research aimed to determine the influence of
career readiness on the dependent variables and the mediating relationship for the variables of
emotional independence, social support, and career decision self-efficacy. Meanwhile, the
mediating relationship between emotional intelligence and social support on career readiness
through career decisions for undergraduate students at Andalas University. The results of this
study indicate a positive and significant relationship between social support on career decision
self-efficacy and social support on career readiness. At the same time, there was also a mediating
relationship between social support on career readiness through career readiness self-efficacy.
However, there is no relationship between emotional intelligence variables on career readiness,
career readiness, and mediation relationships.
Moreover, career preparation can be seen as a developmental process that starts in
childhood and continues into adulthood with adolescence characterized by exploration and career
decision-making. In addition, it was observed that there is a lack of clarity concerning the exact
content of career preparation, but building on career construction theory, proposed that career
preparation be conceptualized as a combination of career decidedness, planning, and confidence
(Marciniak et al., 2020). However, the students usually choose their careers without having
proper knowledge about career information and labor market conditions. Hence, a successful
career mostly depends on a careful career planning which involves making career choice or
career decision about which career path and job are to pursue among the available alternatives
rationally and undertaking the proper strategies for career readiness (Siddiky & Akter, 2021).

Thus, this study entitled, “Level of Career Preparedness of Among the Graduating Class
of College of Business Management and Accountancy: Basis for Intervention” aims to determine
everything that a student needs to know to begin a successful professional life. Being career-
ready is necessary for a successful transition from being a student to employee. It is a challenge
especially to the fresh graduates who are seeking for employment; therefore, it is crucial for them
to be career-ready and able to compete to the other job seekers. Through this study, students are
able to assess and to know how prepared they are by measuring their self-information, career
information, career planning, and their career decision making.

This study will determine the level of career preparedness among the Graduating Class of
College of Business Management and Accountancy for the Academic Year 2023-2024.

Specifically, this study sought to answer the following questions:

1. What is the demographic profile of the respondents in terms of:

a. Sex

b. Program enrolled

2. What is the level of career preparedness of among the graduating class of College of
Business Management and Accountancy when taken as a whole and in terms of the following
factors:

a. Self-Information

b. Career Information

c. Career Planning

d. Career Decision-Making
 3. Is there a significant difference on the career preparedness of graduating students in
terms of the following factors:

a. Self-Information

b. Career Information

c. Career Planning

d. Career Decision-Making

4. Is there a significant relationship between the demographic profile and the level of
career preparedness of among the graduating class of College of Business Management and
Accountancy?

METHODOLOGY

Research Design
The researcher will use the Descriptive research design. This study aims to determine
the level of career preparedness among the graduating class of College of Business Management
and Accountancy in terms of the factors affecting the career preparedness such as self-
information, career information, career planning, and career decision-making.
According to Riche et al. (2013) descriptive research will be able to observe a large
mass of target population and make required conclusions about the variables, the information
collected from the responses can be statistically present in their type of research method for the
easy interpretation of the report users.
For the quantitative method, the researcher will employ a standardized survey
questionnaire to gather information from the participants of the study. The researcher will poses
predetermined set of questions that are specifically patterned to determine the level of career
preparedness among the graduating class of College of Business Management and Accountancy
Subject and Respondents of the Study
The subject and respondents of this study will be the graduating students of College of
Business Management and Accountancy of Carlos Hilado Memorial State University-Fortune
Towne of the academic year 2023-2024.
The survey will be conducted to the graduating respondents grouped according to their
sex and program enrolled.

Population and Sample Size

A sample of 212 respondents will be selected from 450 total population of the
graduating students of College of Business Management and Accountancy of Carlos Hilado
Memorial State University-Fortune Towne.
The stratified random sampling technique with proportional allocation will be used in
order to come up with the sample size.
N
n=
1+ N ( e ) 2
where:
n = sample size
N = Population
e = margin of error (.05)

N
n=
1+ N ( e ) 2
450
n=
1+ 450 ( .05 ) 2
450
n=
1+ 450(.0025)
450
n=
1+ 1.125
450
n=
2.125
n= 211.76 or 212
Sampling Techniques
In determining the number of respondents per program enrolled, the Stratified Random
Sampling technique will be used using the formula below and simple random sampling using
lottery method will be used to select the respondents:
¿(n)
ni =
N
where:
ni = sample size per college major
Ni = population per college major
N = total population
n = total sample size

Table 1. Distribution of the Respondents.

Business Management and Total Population Sample Size

Accountancy Department (N) (n)
College Majors
Bachelor of Science in
Accountancy
Bachelor of Science in
Management Accounting 39 18
Bachelor of Science in
Business Administration 399 160
major in
Financial Management
Bachelor of Science in Office
Administration 67 32
Bachelor of Science in
Entrepreneurship 5 2
Total 450 212
Data Gathering Instrument
The data gathering instrument that will be used in this study was a two-part standardized
research questionnaire taken from a study entitled, “Career Readiness of Senior High School
Students of College of San Agustin-Bacolod” by Cabling et al. (2016), which was composed of
questions about the respondent’s profile for the first part, and questions about the level of career
preparedness in terms of self-information, career information, career planning, and career
decision-making for the second part.

Data Gathering Procedures

The data gathering procedure for this study on career preparedness among the
graduating class of the College of Business Management and Accountancy will be consisted of
several steps.
First, a sample size of graduating students was randomly selected from the college.
Second, the researchers sent a letter for approval signed by the College President. Third, a
standardized questionnaire was used, encompassing items related to self-information, career
information, career planning, and career decision making. Ethical considerations were followed,
ensuring participant confidentiality. Fourth, the data was collected by administering the survey
either online or in-person, with reminders sent to maximize the response rate. Fifth, the collected
data underwent quantitative analysis using statistical tools, including descriptive and inferential
statistics. Sixth, quantitative responses were analyzed through coding and categorization.
Seventh, recommendations were provided for targeted interventions and strategies to enhance
career preparedness among graduating students. Lastly, the study concluded by summarizing the
findings, conclusions, and recommendations, emphasizing the importance of addressing
deficiencies to improve overall career readiness in the College of Business Management and
Accountancy.

REFERENCES
García-Aracil et al. (2021)., “Students' Perceptions of Their Preparedness for Transition to
Work after Graduation”

Marciniak, Julian; Johnston, Claire S.; Steiner, Rebekka S. & Hirschi, Andreas (2020). “Career
Preparedness among Adolescents: A Review of Key Components and Directions for Future
Research” February, 2022.

Siddiky, Roknuzzaman Md and Akter, Shahanaz. (2021), entitled “The Students’ Career
Choice and Job Preparedness Strategies: