Empirics, Anecdote, or Lore? Making Data-driven decisions in Career Services UCDA: Lisa UAA: Derek

Derek Jack: Associate Director, Career Advancement Introductions Derek Jack: Associate Director, Career Advancement Monte Marshall: Associate Director, University Career Services Lisa Christensen: Associate Director, Career Advancement Michael Ricks & Jaclyn Foster: Research Assistants You…? UCDA: Lisa UAA: Derek

How Do You Decide What Advice To Give? 4 foundations for decision-making: Personal Opinions Anecdotal Experiences Occupational Traditions Empirical Evidence UCDA: Lisa UAA: Derek

Religion on resumes: Taboo? Derek’s Story UCONN Study Getting Funding Research Assistants UCDA: Lisa UAA: Derek Religious college graduates have some resume revising to do, according to recent studies from a group of University of Connecticut sociologists. The field experiments on the relationship between religious affiliation and firing discrimination showed that mentioning involvement in campus religious groups on a resume hurts an applicant’s chances of hearing back from potential employers. “Overt religious expression in the workplace – regardless of the specific religion – may be perceived as potentially offensive to coworkers, clients or customers,” the researchers explained.

Articulate the question you want answered Conducting Research Articulate the question you want answered If we could answer one question, what would it be? Search for relevant research already in existence What field of research may be useful? Sociology, Psychology, and Human Resources Management Do the findings apply well to my question? Perform additional investigation when necessary What resources do we have? What help will we need? How can we design a study that will answer our question? UCDA: Monte UAA: Mike or Monte? Conducting research is often intimidating for those of us who have not gone through a PhD program. In reality, it’s not as scary as it seems however. Here are some suggestions to get you started (included on your handout.)

Planning the Project Creating Resumes Applying for Jobs Gathering Data The Experiment Planning the Project Creating Resumes Applying for Jobs Gathering Data Identifying Results UCDA: Monte UAA: Mike or Monte?

3 Missionary samples ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE Volunteer (Full time) Jan/2009 - Jan/2011 Non-Profit Organization, Concepcion, Chile Served in many volunteer leadership positions that included training new volunteers in a one-on-one setting, as well as managing groups of 6-20 volunteers Supervised 15 volunteers, increasing our productivity by 100% and surpassing the 11 other volunteer groups in Concepcion 3 Missionary samples OTHER EXPERIENCE Jan 2013-Jan 2015 Religious Organization Lima, Peru Maintained an independent and efficient work schedule for two years, averaging over 65 hours per week with zero sick days Increased effectiveness of 22 volunteers through weekly trainings and following-up, with a focus on preparing them to communicate well, set and achieve meaningful goals, and be able to train new volunteers VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE Full-Time Volunteer 1/2011-1/2013 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Oaxaca, Mexico Taught literacy skills, family relations, and personal finance principles to more than 120 individuals Increased team effectiveness by providing training in individual communication, problem solving, goal setting, and strategy skills to 18 other volunteers

How did the different groups compare? UCDA: Monte UAA: Mike Students who listed “Religious Organization” received significantly more invitations to interviews than the control group Perhaps the generic “Non-Profit Organization” is less salient to HR personnel reviewing resumes Explicit religious affiliation is equivalent to having a two year gap. Listing “Non-Profit” is worse

What Questions Would You Like to Answer? UCDA & UAA: Lisa

What we would have done differently Moving forward Conclusion What we would have done differently Moving forward UCDA & UAA: Lisa IRB=Institutional Review Board. The IRB is a committee established to review and approve applications for research projects involving human subjects. The primary purpose of the IRB is to protect the rights and welfare of the human subjects.

Presenter Contact Information Brigham Young University University Career Services 1-801-422-6535 ucs.byu.edu Derek Jack: derek_jack@byu.edu Monte Marshall: monte_marshall@byu.edu Lisa Christensen: lisa_christensen@byu.edu