Employers continue to adopt new and innovative ways to find the right people to join their organizations. Job openings that used to grace the black and white pages of the local newspaper now reach any number of interested individuals via the Internet. And as the number of Web-based job search tools continues to grow, so does the ability of organizations to track applicant traffic, interest, and behavior in more detail.

In a May 2008 survey, we asked a targeted sample of job seekers whether or not they used each of 19 different resources during their most recent employment search. We also reviewed the job seekers' self-reported effectiveness of each search tool. (See "Job Seekers: Personal Connections Still Matter" in the "See Also" area on this page.) We found that when job seekers are looking for employment, their use of media varies by age.

Use of Web-based resources varies by generation

How do respondents in each of three generational definitions -- Generation Y (ages 18 to 31), Generation X (ages 32 to 42), and Baby Boomers (ages 43 to 61) -- rate their use and the overall effectiveness of nearly two dozen types of employment search resources? Generally, personal connections and referrals still lead the way among job seekers regardless of generation. But there are notable generational differences when comparing use and proclaimed effectiveness of some Web-based resources such as search engines, professional or trade association Web sites, and other online networking tools.

Web-based job search resources are bountiful, but job seekers' self-reported behaviors and opinions represent how useful potential employees consider the different online alternatives. A majority of Generation Y, Generation X, and Baby Boomer job seekers say they used online job databases and organizations' individual Web sites during their most recent employment search. But while about 60% of each generational group say they used the individual Web sites, those in Generation Y -- despite being the youngest and presumably the most technically savvy -- are least likely among the three generational groups to say they used these sites.

Additionally, job seekers in Generation Y are less likely than those in Generation X and Baby Boomers to say they used any of the other online tools listed in the survey, including search engines, professional or trade association Web sites, online networking tools, online job advertisements, and blogs. Conversely, job seekers in Generation X were more likely than those in Generation Y and Baby Boomers to have used online job databases. In fact, at 76%, Generation X job seekers are as likely to say they used these Web-based databases as they are to say that they relied on friends and family the last time they looked for work (77%).

While Generation Y job seekers might be less likely than older respondents to use online tools other than company Web sites, and Generation X seekers might be more likely than other age groups to use online job databases, job seekers overall rate the effectiveness of these and other Web-based job search resources similarly, regardless of generation. One implication of this finding is that using the Web to recruit is likely to increase the pool of mid-career hires, a critical group for companies looking for experienced employees.

Relationships and real experiences still key across age groups

As reported in the May 2008 article, job seekers are most likely to say they used friends and family and referrals from current employees of organizations during their last employment search. Two-thirds of job seekers also said they used their own experience with or perceptions of a company when looking for work. These three types of job search resources rank among the top of the list for those in Generation Y, Generation X, and Baby Boomers.

Specifically, members of Generation Y are most likely to cite friends and family, then employee referrals and their own experiences. Generation X job seekers also mentioned friends and family most frequently and cited referrals and past experiences frequently. Baby Boomers followed suit, saying they used past experiences, referrals, and friends and family about equally.

Copyright Ó 2008 The Gallup Organization, Princeton, NJ.  All rights reserved.  Reprinted with permission.  Visit The Gallup Management Journal at http://gmj.gallup.com/

Article from The Gallup Management Journal