Two new reports on Generation Y
Jinfo Blog

22nd July 2010

By Penny Crossland

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Two interesting new studies have been published, highlighting the importance of social networking for job hunters and common research behavior amongst Generation Y and older university students. That old adage that it is not ‘what you know, but who you know’ is apparently more relevant in our straitened economic times than ever. A report published this week by Edinburgh Napier University’s Employment Research Institute (http://digbig.com/5bcbhg), shows that those in employment and under the age of 50 have a larger number of contacts via social networking sites than those above 50, giving them a larger pool to draw from when it comes to finding other jobs. However, finding the next rung on the career ladder via social networking, works best if your contacts themselves have a high job status. Keeping in touch with your contacts in high places pays dividends in the long run. The ERI report shows that the over 50s with fewer qualifications are more likely to rely on word of mouth for finding employment or for career advancement. It is this age group that is most likely to have lost jobs in the economic down-turn, and with recruiters increasingly using the web and social network sites for finding job candidates , it is crucial that the over 50s becomes more adept at nurturing and developing contacts online. The British Library and JISC, the UK higher education funding body promoting the use of ICT in education and research, recently published their ‘Researchers of Tomorrow’ report. (http://digbig.com/5bcbhf) According to the study, which analysed how doctoral students from different generations found information, there are a surprising number of overlaps in search behaviour. Both Generation Y and older students are looking for information available via open access, and for shared resources and services. They also expressed frustration at being confronted by the limitations of institutional licenses , (see Freepint’s Copyright Policies and Practices survey at http://www.vivavip.com/go/e28480 for further information on this topic). Interestingly, the older doctoral students were more self-sufficient in finding resources in their libraries and more adept at using facilities such as the BL’s inter-library loan service. Generation Y students are more likely to turn to library staff for assistance. Are younger students lazier in their research habits or have information professionals been neglecting their customers when it comes to teaching them the effective use of their libraries’ resources?

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