Efficacy of Virtual Commmunication Training for Psychological Support to Unemployed: Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Practice in job interview skills is an important step toward successful employment of unemployed. The purpose of the study was to assess the effectiveness of the virtual communicative training developed by us in interviewing skills training of the unemployed with the employer. Participants were randomized into control (n=16) and experimental (n=18) con- ditions. We have created software “Virtual Recruiter” that provides an experience with which job seekers can systematically improve their job interview skills and increase their confidence about going on job interviews. We assessed the efficacy of virtual commmunicative training in a randomized controlled trial. Both groups completed pre-and post-intervention role-play interviews and psychological willingness to job interview questionnaires. Experimental group participants significantly reduced their heart rates and significantly increased their psychological willingness to job interview on the role-play at follow-up compared with baseline (p<0,01). Control group participants had no significant changes in their heart rates and their psychological willingness to job interview (p>0,05). Future research may help to clarify whether this virtual commmunicative training is related to an increase in finding a job. This work was supported by The Ministry of Education and Science of Russian Federation and was prepared as a part of a state task in scientific research area: project № 25.1815.2014/К of 11.07.2014 “Creating virtual experimental models of social interaction between human and psychosocial information environment to organize psychological support for various categories of population”.