How the Generations Use Social Media to Job Search

Gen Y—comprised of 18- to 29-year-olds—may reign supreme when it comes to social networking, but how do they compare to Gen X and Baby Boomers when networking for jobs?

A a new survey from Millennial Branding and Beyond.com looks at the similarities and differences among the three generations and compares how they each approach the job search.

“The most surprising statistic was that Boomers are using the internet as well as social networks more in their job search than younger generations,” says Dan Schawbel, managing partner at Millennial Branding. “Since Boomers are out of work longer and understand the fundamentals of networking, they are going to LinkedIn in order to find new opportunities.”

The study surveyed 5,268 job seekers, including 742 from Gen Y; 1,676 from Gen X (ages 30 to 47); and 2,850 Baby Boomers (ages 48 to 67).

While all generations rely on social networks for job leads to some degree, Schawbel says that none put enough emphasis on networking in-person.

“Networking offline is now a competitive advantage and a way to stand out in the crowd,” Schawbel says. “Submitting a resume blind is usually ineffective. If you have a contact at a company and tell them you’re going to submit a resume, then your chances are much greater.”

Have a look at our infographic to see where your generation fits–and where you may be missing out.

Kristin Burnham covers consumer technology, social networking and enterprise collaboration for CIO.com. Follow Kristin on Twitter @kmburnham. Follow everything from CIO.com on Twitter @CIOonline and on Facebook. Email Kristin at kburnham@cio.com