English Graduate Workforce Survey

Overview

Procedure

This survey was designed to be administered through a web-based application (e.g., Qualtrics). The median participant required 15 minutes to complete the survey.

Instrument

All Likert-scale questions use the same six-point scale: Strongly agree, Agree, Somewhat agree, Somewhat disagree, Disagree, Strongly disagree. The Likert scale questions that ask about specific skills also include an option for “not applicable.”

Basic Information

1. Upon graduating with my BA from the BYU English department, my immediate career goal was (select the option that best fits)
   • Finding full-time employment
   • Attending graduate school
   • Finding freelance/contract/part-time work
   • Full-time homemaking/child-rearing
   • Other
2. When did you graduate with your degree in English?
3. Gender
4. Race
5. Title of first full-time job title after graduation
6. Are you still employed in this same job? Y/N
7. Do you still work with the same company as you did in your first job after graduation? Y/N
8. How many different employers have you worked for since graduating with your BA?

Job Search After Graduation

9. How long did it take you to find full-time employment after graduation?
   • I had a job lined up at graduation
   • 1 month
   • 2 months
   • 3 months
   • 4 months
   • 5 months
   • 6-12 months
   • more than 1 year
   • I have not been able to find full-time employment
10. What factors motivated you in your initial job search after graduation (select all that apply)?
    • Salary/income
    • Begin a specific career/work at a specific company
    • Get general work experience
    • Work in a field related to your major
    • Learn what careers were available/Learn what careers you were interested in
    • Work in a specific geographic area (e.g., hometown, proximity to spouse’s work)
11. (Forwarded responses from Q. 10) Please rank how motivating each of these factors were for you in searching for your first job after graduation, from most motivating (first) to least motivating (last).
12. List any other motivating factors in your initial job search
13. What factors motivated you in accepting your first job after graduation (select all that apply)?
    • Salary/income
    • Begin a specific career/work at a specific company
    • Get general work experience
    • Work in a field related to your major
    • Learn what careers were available/Learn what careers you were interested in
    • Work in a specific geographic area (e.g., hometown, proximity to spouse’s work)
14. (Forwarded responses from Q. 13) Please rank how motivating each of these factors were for you in accepting your first job after graduation, from most motivating (first) to least motivating (last).
15. List any other motivating factors in accepting your first job
16. (Likert-scale) Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with each of the following statements about your first job search.
    • The job market was healthy at the time I graduated
    • I knew where to look for the jobs that I wanted
    • I knew what I wanted to do (what type of job I wanted) after graduation
    • I had the experience I needed in order to get the job I wanted after graduation
    • I felt prepared to find a job and enter the workforceI was able to articulate the skills I had gained in my major in job applications and interviews
    • The skills I gained in my major matched those in the descriptions of jobs I was interested in applying for
    • My job hunt took longer than I expected
    • I struggled to find jobs that I felt qualified for
    • I lacked confidence in my ability to do the work that companies were hiring for
    • I felt discouraged about finding work
    • I settled for a job I was not that excited about
17. Which of the following helped you to land your first job (select all that apply)?
    • The English degree/English skills
    • A non-English minor
    • A second major
    • Prior work experience (non-internship)
    • Internship
    • Personal network
    • Professional network
    • Personal drive or other personal attributes
18. (Forwarded responses from Q.17) Please rank how helpful each of these factors were for you getting your first job after graduation, from most helpful (first) to least helpful (last).
19. Did anything else help you get your first job?
20. (Likert-scale) The following skills positively influenced my ability to get my first job
    • Writing skills
    • Research skills
    • Analytical skills
    • Oral communication
    • Persuasive abilities
    • Understanding diverse opinions
    • Empathy
    • Critical thinking skills
    • Problem solving skills
    • Ability to work with others on a team
    • Technical skills
21. Any other skills not listed here that positively influence your ability to get your first job?
22. In hindsight, what would you have done differently when seeking that first job?

First Job

23. (Likert-scale) Reflecting on your first job, please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following statements
    • I utilized skills that I gained in my English major in my first job
    • My first job was aligned with my major field
    • My first job was aligned with my major field
    • My first job was professionally rewarding
    • I was satisfied with my first job (as a first job)
    • I was proud of my first job
    • The salary for this job was what I expected as a college graduate
    • The salary for this job was sufficient for my needs
    • My first job was a good starting point for my ultimate career goals
    • I was dissatisfied with my first job
    • I was always on the lookout for a better job
    • I felt underutilized in my first job
    • I did not feel professionally challenged in my first job
24. (Likert-scale) Thinking beyond being hired for my first job, the following skills positively influenced my ability to progress in my career.
    • Writing skills
    • Research skills
    • Analytical skills
    • Oral communication
    • Persuasive abilities
    • Understanding diverse opinions
    • Empathy
    • Critical thinking skills
    • Problem solving skills
    • Ability to work with others on a team
    • Technical skills
25. Any other skills not listed here that positively influence your ability to progress in your career?

English Major

26. (Likert-scale) Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with each of the following statements about your English major studies.
    • I enjoyed my English major
    • I received career guidance during my undergraduate studies
    • I knew where to find career guidance in the department/on campus
    • The English major prepared me to enter the workforce
    • I developed professional skills and competencies during my undergraduate education
    • I would choose to major in English again
    • I would recommend the English major to a family member or close friend
    • My English degree has benefitted me personally
    • My English degree has benefitted me professionally
    • I wish I had chosen a major with a more clear career path
    • I wish I had seen more examples of careers that were available to me with my major
    • I wish I had had more “applied” experiences during the major (e.g., internship, publication work, leadership opportunities)
    • English is a useless major for trying to find a first job
27. (Likert-scale) I learned the following skills as part of the English major.
    • Writing skills
    • Research skills
    • Analytical skills
    • Oral communication
    • Persuasive abilities
    • Understanding diverse opinions
    • Empathy
    • Critical thinking skills
    • Problem solving skills
    • Ability to work with others on a team
    • Technical skills
28. What did you appreciate most about your English studies in relation to your first job?
29. What did you appreciate least?
30. What do you wish you had known about career pathways when you started as an English major?
31. In hindsight, what would you have done differently as an English major to help with that initial job search?

References

Harding, T., Kimmons, R., & Leary, H. (under review). Understanding English graduates’ experiences entering the workforce.

Other Materials

Survey results of Harding et al. (under review): https://edtechbooks.org/-HBut