DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SUPPLIED AND ELICITED CONSIDERATIONS IN CAREER EVALUATION

Abstract

This paper studies the difference between deciders' uses of supplied and elicited considerations within the context of career evaluation. Twenty first-year students rated 10 elicited career alternatives on 5 supplied constructs (e.g., demanding/relaxed) and 5 personal constructs. Next, students indicated their preferences between alternatives, when presented with 25 pairs of careers. Reaction times were recorded. The results indicated that personal constructs were more interrelated and more evaluatively compatible than supplied constructs. These structural attributes of constructs also correlated significantly with indecisiveness or reaction time. It was concluded that deciders were more coherent in using personal rather than supplied constructs.