The Multiple Mini-Interviews as a method to assess transversal competencies for the graduate job market: A pilot study

Higher Education institutions are investing in the development of students' transversal competencies to respond to labour market demands. In such a context, the relevance of a measure to assess graduate students' job readiness has been highlighted. A pilot study was conducted to analyse the feasibility of adapting the Multiple Mini-Interviews (MMI) method with 10 stations to assess transversal competencies across different scientific fields. The examinees were 16 students from two Portuguese universities of different scientific fields (e.g., Economics, Education). The study also involved 19 interviewers and five simulated human characters. Upon completion of the MMI, data on students’ perceptions and acceptability of the MMI method were collected through two focus groups and a self-report questionnaire. To evaluate the MMI’s fitness to the purpose and ability to discriminate individual performance, the interviewers and simulated human characters also participated in a focus group. Interviewers also answered a questionnaire on their perceptions about the station they were involved in. The results indicated that the MMI method allowed to discriminate participants according to the target transversal competencies and that it gathered good reliability indices for internal consistency and interrater agreement. The analysis of the participants’ perceptions revealed that, overall, the MMI is potentially a method fit for the purpose of assessing transversal competencies necessary for the job market. The results are discussed considering their implications and the limitations of the study.