Emilia Del Bono (University of Essex)
Liqing Chen, Adeline Delavande, Luca Favero and Angus Holford
Technological advancements are reshaping traditional job tasks, increasing the demand for social skills and the returns on these abilities. However, it is unclear whether university students are aware of these in-demand skills and how to acquire them. This paper investigates the impact of a randomized information intervention on students' beliefs about graduate employers' skill requirements, their ability to demonstrate these skills, and their investment decisions and job search strategies. The intervention had no effect on students' beliefs about which skills employers value, as their baseline perceptions were largely consistent with the objective information provided. However, the intervention did influence students' perceptions of their ability to demonstrate those skills. Specifically, female students lowered their self-assessments, while male students showed no such change. As a result, men and women responded differently to the intervention. We find that the intervention had a positive effect on career event participation and academic outcomes for females, while treated males started their job search earlier. However, treated males were less likely to secure long-term, stable jobs upon graduation compared to their peers.