Evaluating the Value of Online Career Counseling Efforts for Management Undergraduates – A Study Associated with Sri Lankan Universities

Many studies pinpoint career counseling is worthwhile for employees’ sound career decision-making. Higher education institutions have been offering many career counseling services to careerists in their various career stages. Moreover, online career counseling has been evolving as a novel mode of career support. However, the pertaining literature in academia is much sluggish and unorganized by missing its contextual applicability. Furthermore, several studies testify that the phenomenon of online career counseling is strange and almost unknown to Sri Lankan higher educational institutions. Hence, the objective of this study is twofold; to assess students’ willingness to adopt online counseling and understanding its perceived benefits. A qualitative-exploratory study was designed to achieve so-called objectives and implemented cross-sectionally. Data were collected from 34 management undergraduates in 6 universities in Sri Lanka through semi-structured interviews. Codes and themes were extracted from the thematic analysis. It was found that employed undergraduates demonstrate a mild-level passion in online career counseling and they acknowledge that online career counseling is much viable and a timely approach in career guidance. Personalized career support, adaptability to environmental changes, raised self-awareness, career development and crafting are claimed as key benefits of online career counseling. This study stands as a pinpoint for higher educational administrators to redesign career guidance services and for undergraduates to educate themselves in its perceived benefits. Future researchers can develop relevant measurement scales on willingness of careerists to receive these services and can test the applicability of these services for non-educational sectors by further validating the findings of this study with longitudinal research designs.