Gen Y Intimidated by Networking, Finds “Poking” Inappropriate
Post by
Janet Sun | September 2nd, 2009
Gen Y is known for being gurus at social networking so even we were surprised by the results of our most recent survey which revealed that 53% of Gen Y is intimidated by networking when searching for jobs and internships. It turns out most are intimidated by in-person networking (62%) and telephone networking (50%), both forms that are not electronic and require contact with people they don’t know.
When it comes to employers using online networking, Gen Y told us which employer behaviors they find acceptable: they agreed “invitations to connect” (67%) and “invitations to join employer-hosted groups” (62%) were appropriate, but they drew the line at “poking,” which some equated to “flirting,” and found “friending” less acceptable.
If you are looking to network with and build relationships with Gen Y, keep in mind a couple of notions: (1) as newcomers to the workforce, they may not be as comfortable with career networking as your more experienced hires, so go easy on them! and (2) as social networking mavens, they are leaps and bounds ahead of us and we need to follow their lead on social media conventions.
Employers, for tips on how to network with Gen Y, download the whitepaper.
Tags: career networking, employer groups, friending, Gen Y, invitations to connect, networking, poking, social media, social networking
September 6th, 2009 at 12:15 pm
A lot of this depends on the platform. Students by default think of Facebook as the platform for employers to network with them (I assume that is why the % is not higher) - which clearly isn’t the right move for employers or students. I haven’t talked to a single student who wouldn’t be willing to participate and receive updates from employers of their choosing. Networking online is a lot different that “doing things” online - the employers that “do things” will win over revenue generating, pre-screened student talent.
Forget the tweets and Facebook messages, start asking students how they would make your products better - that’s when you are going to see a remarkable response. And, listen to them.