help wanted
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Help Wanted: How Social Media and Employment Branding Impact Recent College Graduates
CANDICE CRANE
UNDER THE DIRECTION OF DR. CLEMONS, ED. D.
AbstractBaby Boomers are retiring at a faster rate and are often replaced by Millennials who have different values, perceptions and environmental preferences than the preceding generations.
Organizations are increasingly adapting their recruiting strategies to target this younger audience.
This study examines the impact social media and employment branding have on the job search and selection process of recent college graduates.
A quantitative analysis was performed on a sample of recent college graduates (N=50) to determine how tools such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook are used in comparison to traditional job search methods. An additional analysis was performed to determine how employment brand and employee value propositions impacted the job search and selection process
IntroductionPURPOSE OF STUDY
The purpose of this study was to determine the impact social media and employment branding have on recent college graduates.
The study focused on what tools were used
during the job search and selection process and investigated how brand awareness and employee value proposition impacted company attractiveness.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
RQ1: How do recent college graduates use social media such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to identify opportunities?
RQ2: How are recent college graduates influenced by a company’s employment brand when looking to join an organization?
Literature Review: Millennials A 2013 study showed no significant differences between Generation X and Generation Y regarding job search self-efficacy, job search methods and ideal job. They further determined there is not a significant difference in generational brand awareness (Kolesnicov, 2014).The researcher suggested companies should invest in their brand in order to attract candidates of all
ages.
A 2012 study to determine the predictors of organizational attraction for Millennials found that work-life balance content on websites along with website user ability increased Millennial attraction (Ehrhart, Mayer, & Ziegert, 2012). The researches of this study speculate the reason for the increased attraction is due to Millennial’s
ability to decipher information quickly and infer an appreciation for a company’s commitment to technology.
Literature Review: Social MediaAlthough social media has changed the landscape of networking and connectivity, many social media sites are being underutilized in college and professional recruiting (Peterson-Withorn, 2014).
According to a 2014 Human Capital Media Advisory Group talent acquisition survey, 78.3% of companies use LinkedIn while only 25.5% use Twitter and 38.6% use Facebook (Mihelich, 2014, para. 14).
A 2011 study of 34 recruitment experts in France determined that although social media is not a point where it can replace other e-recruitment tools such as career websites and job boards, many experts consider it a more dynamic and stronger relational tool (Girad et al., 2014).
Literature Review: Employment BrandingAn employment brand is defined as the way an organization’s prospective applicants, candidates, and employees perceive the organization as an employer (Employment Branding, n.d., para. 1).
A 2014 study found that employee testimonials on independent websites, forums and online communities have a greater impact on potential applicants than company websites (Kaur & Dubey, 2014). The same study found that job seeker’s assessment of the organizational image begins at an early stage
much before they actually come into direct contact with the company.
Collins & Stevens (2002) found that exposure to early recruitment activities was positively related to job seekers attitudes and perceived attributes. Further, these elements of brand image were significantly related to application intentions and actual decisions (p. 1132).
Results- Literature ReviewA 2012 study to determine the predictors of organizational attraction for Millennials found that work-life balance content on websites along with website user ability increased Millennial attraction (Ehrhart, Mayer, & Ziegert, 2012). The researches of this study speculate the reason for the increased attraction is due to Millennial’s ability to
decipher information quickly and infer an appreciation for a company’s commitment to technology.
A recent study by Kolesnicov (2014) “provides empirical evidence to support the importance companies should attribute to a differentiated employer brand communication based on generational differences” (p. 6).
Other studies have shown that social media is considered an essential strategy or at least ‘very useful’ in part because of the creation of online communities and the company’s ability to develop a “conversational” employment brand (Girad et al., 2014, p. 15).
No study has focused specifically on the impact social media and employment have on recent college graduates of the Millennial generation.
Methodology and ProcedureMETHODS
The research design used a quantitative method which analyzed data collected from a survey completed by fifty participants who graduated college in the years 2013, 2014 or 2015.
The purpose of this design was to measure which employment resources were used most and least often by recent college graduates and what impact company branding had on their decision to join a company.
PROCEDURE
Convenience sampling was used to collect survey data from recent college graduates in the following ways:o Researchers personal Facebook pageo LinkedIn Blog authored by the researcher
A purposive sampling method was used to solicit participants who met this criteria on LinkedIn:o <1 year: experience/ years in position/ years at companyo Seniority = Entryo School = University of Wisconsin-Madison OR Mercer
Universityo Within 500 mi of 53406 AND 100 mi of 30329
Results – Social MediaQ1. How did you find your first job out of school?
Answer Options Response Percent
Response Count
School career fair 8.3% 4Community career fair 0.0% 0On-line job posting 41.7% 20Facebook 0.0% 0Twitter 0.0% 0LinkedIn 8.3% 4Referral 30.6% 15Previous internship 12.5% 6
93.1% of the respondents found their job through traditional methods
Only 8.3% found their job through social media
The only social media tool used was LinkedIn
Conclusions
Results - Social Media
On-line job posting
Networking
Referrals
School career fair
Industry/company reputation
Professor recommendations
Lists of best companies to work for
Community career fair
8.73
7.5
7.43
7.29
6.2
5.82
5.35
5.35
4.55
4.27
3.65
Rank from most to least the tools you utilized when looking for your first job out of school
Results- Social MediaWhen the respondents were asked if their company had a strong social media presence, 62.0% said yes however only 36.7% said they followed their company on social media prior to joining the company.
LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Other (please explain)
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
If you answered Yes to the previous question, which platform did you follow
them on? The respondents that did follow their company on social media prior to beginning their employment were split almost evenly between the following three platforms: LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
Research Question 1RQ1: How do recent college graduates use social media such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn
to identify opportunities?
Results of the data show that recent graduates prefer traditional methods such as job boards, networking, referrals, and school career fairs over social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.
This coupled with a very small percent of recent graduates stating they found their job on social media (8.3% on LinkedIn), suggest that recent graduates are still relying on traditional job search tools rather than social media.
The findings also suggest there is no significant preference of social media tools. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, when used, were leveraged almost equally during the job search and selection process.
Results- Employment Branding
When was the first time you heard of the company you ended up working for immediately after college?
Answer Options Response Percent
Response Count
For as long as I can remember 32.0% 16At some point prior to graduation 22.0% 11Only during my job search 46.0% 23
Only 32% of respondents were familiar with their company prior to college
68% of respondents only recently became familiar with their organization with the majority learning about the company only during the job search
Conclusions
Results- Employment Branding
20%
40%
40%
What significance did the strength of a company’s brand have on your decision to pursue them as an
employer?
Very significant- I only wanted to work for companies that are well known
Somewhat significant- I was more attracted to well recognized com-panies, but I consid-ered companies that were less well known
Only 20% of the respondents stated the strength of the company’s brand played a significant role in pursuing them as a future employer
The remaining 80% were split evenly between somewhat significant and significant
Conclusions
Results- Employment Branding
30%
54%
10%
6%
How would you rate your understanding of your first company’s Employer Value Proposition (EVP) at the time of hire? The EVP in-cludes why this is a good company to work for and what the com-
pany believes in. Very clear at hire- I knew exactly why this was the company I wanted to work for
Somewhat clear at hire- The company was attractive in cer-tain ways but I learned a lot about the company once I joined
Not very clear at hire- The company did not do a very good job identifying who they were but I liked the job descrip-tion or the person that hired me
I had no idea what the company was about before I joined. I needed a job and the pay was competitive
Only 30% of the respondents stated the EVP was very clear at time of hire
10% did not know what the company was about before they joined
Conclusions
Results- Employment Branding
Hours
Pay
Benefits
Growth potential
Company stability
Community service orientation
Industry
4.16
4.59
4.08
5.04
3.98
2.43
3.71
What is/was most attractive to you about your first employer out of school?
Research Question 2RQ2: How are recent college graduates influenced by a company’s employment brand when
looking to join an organization?
Results of the data show recent graduates are open to exploring companies they have never heard of and are willing to join a company even if the employer’s value proposition is not entirely clear at time of hire or if the company’s values do not exactly match with the recent graduate.
Furthermore, the results indicate that growth potential, pay and hours are the most important attributes or factors for recent college graduates of the millennial generation.
DiscussionThis study shows that Millennials, although adept in social media, prefer using traditional job tools over social media during their job search and selection process.
Recent college graduates do not appear to be attracted to an organization based on their social media presence as the majority of the study participants did not follow their company on a social media platform prior to joining the organization.
The professional network site LinkedIn is not significantly favored over more traditional social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook.
The strength of the company’s brand does not play a significant role in determining attractiveness.
Recent college graduates are attracted to growth potential, pay and hours. Other organizational attributes such as the Employers Value Proposition (EVP) were considered however total clarity regarding the EVP did not need to be achieved prior to accepting an offer.
Kolesnicov, I. (2014). Employer Branding Through Social Media In the Generation Y Context (Doctoral dissertation, Aarhus University). Retrieved from http://pure.au.dk/portal/files/82370237/Thesis_Proposal_Employer_Branding_Through_Social_Media_In_the_Generation_Y_Context_Iulia_Kolesnicov.pdf
Mihelich, M. (2014). E-Recruiting: Dead and alive. Workforce, 93(5). Retrieved from www.galileo.usg.edu
Peterson-Withorn, C. (2014, July 7). Virtual reality and the brave new world of college recruiting. Forbes.com, 20. Retrieved from http://www.galileo.usg.edu/
References
Ehrhart, K. H., Mayer, D. M., & Ziegert, J. C. (2012). Web-based recruitment in the millennial generation: Work-life balance, website userbility, and organization attraction. European Journal of Work & Organizational Psychology, 21, 850-874. Retrieved from www.galileo.usg.edu
Girad, A., Fallery, B., & Rodhain, F. (2014). Integration of social media in recruitment: A delphi study. HAL archives-ouvertes. Retrieved from www.galileo.usg.edu/
References