Searching job listings is a core part of every career exploration process, so we set out to learn how Gen Y conducts their job search to help employers recruit them better.

For starters, the top resources Gen Y turns to for opportunities are company websites (73%), university or alumni career centers (70%), career fairs or events (69%) and job board sites (60%). Students tend to use career fairs and university career centers, while alumni rely more on company web sites and job boards.

To narrow their online job searches, Gen Y typically uses two to three criteria , most often job function (65%), type of job (53%), and experience level (50%). Location is also regularly used.

In the job description itself, students and recent graduates agree on three “must have” requirements: location (77%), qualifications sought (76%), and roles & responsibilities (74%). Students, however, have two additional “must haves” - majors sought (53%) and start date or estimated time to hire (50%). They want more information so they can see how their skills align with the job.

While there are lots of ways to find out about job opportunities, respondents say they primarily stay informed through emails from their school (73%), search agent emails (52%) and updates in their school/alumni portal (47%), indicating that email is not dead!

Employers, for tips on how to position your company well in the Gen Y job search, download the whitepaper.