Indeed Releases Generational Search Habits

Recently Indeed published a research study examining how the three main workforce age groups (Millennials, Gen Xers & Baby Boomers) look for jobs in today’s marketplace.

As professionals always looking for the top talent, it is important we recognize that there are “best practices” for attracting potential employees from each of these age groups. It does seem like a basic principal – know your audience, what they consume, and how they consume it. You won’t see a Budweiser commercial on Downton Abbey (if PBS ran commercials).

It is interesting that each of these three groups make up roughly an equal third of the workforce – meaning that if you are like most companies with a diverse set of needs for talent and experience, you are going to need to diversify your job search techniques. Understanding these groups and habits will help you proactively position your company and reach all three generations, Millennials (ages 21 to 30), Gen Xers (ages 31-50), and Baby Boomers (ages 51-70).

The study reveals that mobile is a huge component for job post searches for all ages. Nearly 3 out of 4 (73%) Millennials’ and more than 2 out of 3 (70%) of Gen Xers’ Indeed job clicks are coming from mobile devices like smartphones. Baby

Boomers are more “old school” but still, nearly half (48%) of this group’s job clicks are associated with a mobile device.

Some of the highlights from the report include:

• Millennials prefer big cities while Gen Xers seem to gravitate towards the “next level” of city… areas that could be considered hubs (Seattle for tech, Charlotte for healthcare, etc. while baby boomers want to head South to warmer areas like Arizona and Florida.
• Baby Boomers are showing more interest in the more industrial and blue-collar jobs, suggesting all sorts of implications in terms of where you look to fill these positions including who should fill them, and what long term strategies to keep these staffed will be.
• The three generations each have a different job search periods. Gen Xers likes the mornings, Baby Boomers prefer the evenings, and for some reason Millennials search more on Monday mornings than other generations (are they are too young to remember how Garfield hated Mondays?)
• Younger generations are more interest in “tech” related jobs more than older candidates.

No matter the age demographic, Willory is well-versed in seeking and finding the perfect candidate with the perfect amount of experience you need. We’d love a chance to help you attract your perfect employees to your organization.