Linking Emotional and Social Competencies to Career Readiness Among Senior Undergraduates

This study examines the influence of emotional intelligence (EI) and social competence (SC) on career readiness among senior undergraduate students. With the evolving demands of the professional world, understanding these attributes provides essential insights into preparing students for successful career integration.

A cross-sectional design was utilized involving 330 senior undergraduate students selected based on the Morgan and Krejcie table for appropriate sample size. The Career Readiness Scale (CRS), Social Competence Inventory (SCI), and Emotional Competence Inventory (ECI) were employed to measure the respective constructs. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and linear regression analyses performed using SPSS version 27.

Descriptive statistics indicated average scores of 3.45 (SD = 0.88) for career readiness, 4.12 (SD = 0.75) for social competence, and 3.98 (SD = 0.81) for emotional intelligence. Pearson correlation results revealed significant positive relationships between career readiness and social competence (r = 0.61, p < 0.01), and between career readiness and emotional intelligence (r = 0.56, p < 0.01). Linear regression analysis demonstrated that these variables collectively accounted for 38% of the variance in career readiness (R² adjusted = 0.38, F = 14.36, p < 0.01).

The findings highlight the significant predictive power of both emotional intelligence and social competence on career readiness in undergraduate students. These competencies are crucial for educational and professional development programs aiming to enhance students' transition into the workforce.