Generation Game
The role of the internet in job seeking
With more and more of today's business interactions taking place in the digital environment, Ipsos MORI's research has some strong messages for recruitment professionals.
Generation Y - those aged under 30 - who have grown up surrounded by the fruits of the latest technological boom, are much more likely to have adopted ‘new' technologies in their job seeking than their nearest counterparts - Generation X (those aged 30-42).
Indeed seven in ten of Generation Y employees have used the internet in their job searches while half have applied for a job through an employer's website and 41% through an agency website. Two in five have placed their C.V. in an online C.V. bank for prospective employers to find.
Even against their closest age group, Generation X, there are some stark differences in the use of technology for job seeking. They are significantly less likely to have applied for a job online using an employer's or agency's site. Similarly they are much less likely to have posted information or their C.V. online for prospective employers to browse.
Among the older generations, there is less and less comfort with using these technologies. Two in five of the Jones generation (aged 43-53) and almost half of Baby Boomers (aged 54 to 61) have never used any online method for job seeking.
This has direct implications for employers steering their recruitment processes to online methods. This marked division between the generations means that recruiters need to be flexible about the media through which they promote vacancies and engage candidates. It is easy for some recruiters to assume that everybody looking for a new job is using the internet, but clearly this is not the case.
An ageing population and continuing skills shortages mean that recruiters are turning to older, more experienced, employees to try to fill the gaps. Recruiters need to consider how best to reach people aged over 40. Indeed, given our data show that a significant proportion of pre-boomers (aged over 62) are senior managers, compared to fewer than one in 25 of Generation Y, it is particularly important to consider the use of appropriate communication methods when recruiting older and/or senior people.
The advent of Web 2.0 technology (discussed elsewhere in this issue) as a platform for recruitment opens up new opportunities for employer branding and recruitment. However, it is important to maintain a balance of traditional methods. In doing so, recruiters will maximise the reach of their campaigns and attract a wider and more diverse range of potential employees through a fully inclusive approach.
Additional information is available on www.ipsos-mori.com/erm
For more information about Employee Relationship Management please contact: Craig Hartley-Kite or Karen Wisdom on 020 7347 3000.