The Impact of Career Readiness and Job Information Access on Students' Career Opportunities: The Moderating Role of Self-Confidence

Abstract

The rapid structural shift in the modern industrial landscape, characterized by automation and the Fourth Industrial Revolution, has intensified competition in the global labor market. Consequently, university graduates face persistent challenges regarding employment acquisition and skill-matching discrepancies. This study aims to investigate the influence of career readiness and job information access on students' career opportunities, while examining the moderating role of self-confidence in these relationships. An explanatory quantitative research design was implemented, surveying 150 active undergraduate students (semester 5 and above) and fresh graduates from Universitas Islam Sultan Agung Semarang, selected via purposive sampling. Data were gathered through structured 5-point Likert questionnaires and analyzed using Partial Least Squares–Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) assisted by SmartPLS 4. The empirical findings indicate that job information access (β = 0.325, t = 2.218, p = 0.027) and self-confidence (β = 0.468, t = 2.388, p = 0.017) exert positive and statistically significant direct effects on career opportunities. Conversely, career readiness does not exhibit a significant direct effect on career opportunities (β = 0.165, t = 1.551, p = 0.121). In the moderation analysis, self-confidence significantly strengthens the positive relationship between job information access and career opportunities (β = 0.179, t = 2.062, p = 0.039), but fails to moderate the effect of career readiness on career opportunities (β = -0.048, t = 0.558, p = 0.577). The structural model demonstrates an R² value of 0.708. These results underscore that facilitating comprehensive job information channels and cultivating psychological confidence are critical for maximizing graduate employability.