The next Generation at Work--Business Students' Views, Values and ...

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The next generation at work – business students’ views, values and job search strategy

478

Implications for universities and employers Eddy S.W. Ng Management and Human Resources Department, College of Business Administration, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, California, USA, and

Ronald J. Burke Schulich School of Business, York University, Toronto, Canada Abstract Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to explore the views, career expectations, and job search behaviours among a sample of business students. It also aims to examine the role of campus career services in shaping students’ careers and how cooperative education influences their expectations and aspirations. Design/methodology/approach – A field survey involving 20,771 students across Canada was conducted by a strategic consulting firm. This research is a part of a broader research project commissioned by a consortium of large Canadian companies to understand better the views of university students on jobs, organisations, careers and perceptions of their organisation. Findings – The study found that cooperative students appear to have more realistic expectations, have better self-insights into their own abilities and desires, and report higher self-confidence. They also placed greater emphases on the “people” and “work” dimensions of a firm. Students with higher abilities also reported similar characteristics and preferences to those of cooperative students. These characteristics are important because they have been linked to greater recruitment success. Additionally, the job search process among students appears to have shifted from more traditional approaches to electronic channels such as the internet. Practical implications – University students continue to be a significant source of hiring for professional and managerial jobs. Employers should connect with university students to understand their views, expectations, and job search process. Employers are also well advised to create a familiarity with university students, and to participate in cooperative education since it can highlight the realities of job and careers in contemporary organisations. These strategies in combination can assist employers with greater recruitment success and long-term organisational performance. Originality/value – This research, based on a large field survey of university students, builds on Cable and Turban’s employer knowledge framework, and provides valuable insights into the workforce of the future and strategies for greater recruitment success. Keywords Students, Business studies, Careers, Career development, Education, Strategic planning Paper type Research paper

Education þ Training Vol. 48 No. 7, 2006 pp. 478-492 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited 0040-0912 DOI 10.1108/00400910610705872

Preparation of this manuscript was supported in part by the Business Administration Program, Trent University, and the Schulich School of Business, York University. Lisa Fiksenbaum participated in the data analysis. The authors thank D-Code Consulting for making the data available to them.

Introduction Canada, like many industrialised countries such as the UK and the USA, is anticipating a shortage of skilled workers (Corporate Leadership Council, 2005a, b). For example, Canada could lack 1.5 million skilled workers by 2010 (Corporate Leadership Council, 2003). As the demand for skills continues to rise, the competition for skilled workers will intensify leading to a war for talent. University students continue to be a major source of hiring for skilled jobs such as managers, professionals and technical workers (Rynes et al., 1997). They are technologically savvy which makes them highly desirable in today’s job markets (Burke and Ng, 2006; Ware, 2005). University students are also eager to learn, and are more easily socialised into an organisation’s norms and culture, compared to experienced hires (Loughlin and Barling, 2001; Ruiz-Quintanilla and Claes, 1996; Van Vianen, 2000). These factors in combination make them a target of competition for the workforce of the future. There is already an abundant of literature that focused on applicant attraction strategies and organisational recruitment practices (e.g. Barber et al., 1994, 1999; Heneman and Berkley, 1999; Rynes and Barber, 1990; Rynes et al., 1997) to help organisations compete for talent. What is missing is an understanding of how job applicants seek out information, investigate, and decide among alternative job opportunities (Cable and Turban, 2001). This knowledge, of university students in particular, is especially important because they represent the workforce of the future, and also because they have work values and expectations different from previous generations (Loughlin and Barling, 2001; Smola and Sutton, 2002). It should be noted that it is the students who will be selecting which organisations they want to work for, based on the kinds of working conditions, opportunities, and flexibility employers can offer. Consistent with this, we seek to explore the career aspirations and expectations among a sample of 4,851 university students enrolled in a business program. Specifically, we examined what attracts them to future opportunities, how they explore potential employers, and how they make career decisions. It is expected that the findings can provide an insight into the future of Canada’s graduates, the expectations that is demanded of future employers, and how well universities are supporting their careers. Business schools Business schools have traditionally been a training ground for management education and a source of supply of managers to employers. In recent years, however, the role of business schools has been increasingly questioned (Starkey and Tempest, 2005). There are suggestions that business education does not correlate with career success (Pfeffer and Fong, 2002). With rising tuition fees, business schools are increasingly pressured to live up to their promises to students by attempting to deliver great career results (Pfeffer and Fong, 2004). Student satisfaction with academic support services (e.g. career services) is low (Education Benchmarking, Inc., 2004), while employers are complaining that students are more interested in achieving their career goals than learning and personal development (Pfeffer and Fong, 2004). The question on whether students have realistic career expectations therefore needs to be answered (Waryszak, 1999). Students, employers, and academics are all calling for more business programs to incorporate a clinical or cooperative (coop) education component to make

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management education relevant to jobs and organisations (Bergman, 1978; Pfeffer and Fong, 2002; Thiel and Hartley, 1997). In this study, we examine students’ expectations, career choices, and job search behaviours. We also investigate the role of campus career services in shaping students’ career expectations and how coop education influences some of the students’ expectations and aspirations. Cooperative education allows students to acquire essential skills by being exposed to the reality of the world of work beyond the boundaries of the campus, thus enhancing their self-confidence and career directions (see Garavan and Murphy, 2001). Theoretical framework Recruitment literature Research on recruitment has received a lot of attention over the past 30 years (Breaugh and Starke, 2000). However, much of recruitment literature has focused on recruitment efforts and applicant attraction strategies (e.g. Barber et al., 1994, 1999; Heneman and Berkley, 1999; Rynes and Barber, 1990; Rynes et al., 1997). Most of these research targeted one of three areas: (1) recruitment sources (e.g. do different sources of recruitment result in different outcomes?); (2) recruiters (e.g. do recruiter impressions make a difference in applicant attraction?); and (3) realistic job previews (e.g. does providing accurate job information result in higher satisfaction post hire?) (see Rynes (1991) for a review). We extend previous research by also examining the characteristics of the applicant pool, and how they are influenced by organisational level variables. It is believed that investigating the applicant pool characteristics (e.g. quality of applicants, realistic expectations) is important because it is a measure of a firm’s recruitment success (Turban and Cable, 2003). We begin by “going inside the heads of potential applicants” to understand what job or organisational characteristics are important to students, how they seek out information about potential employers, and how they make career decisions. The goal of this research is to help organisations understand the attitudes and behaviours of their targeted applicants so they can decide on what type of recruitment efforts that will provide the greatest return (i.e. generate the most applicants). We draw on Cable and Turban’s (2001) “employer knowledge framework” to help explain the students’ expectations and how they make career choices. Cable and Turban (2001, p. 115) defined employer knowledge as “beliefs that a job seeker holds about a potential employer.” This knowledge is important because it determines how job applicants pursue and process information about an organisation, what they expect from the organisation as employees, and whether they accept jobs with the organisation. According to Cable and Turban (2001), applicants broadly evaluate a firm based on the physical attributes of the employer, e.g. firm size, geographical location (employer information); attributes about the jobs being offered by the firm, e.g. pay levels, benefits, advancement opportunities (job information); and the types of individuals who would be potential co-workers (people information). Because applicants often do not have complete information about a firm, these three categories of organisational

information provide an insight about the firm (i.e. what type of organisation is it?). In theory, different people are attracted to different attributes of a firm (e.g. good pay and benefits, good people to work with). The individual difference hypothesis (Rynes, 1991) also suggests that different firms reach out to applicant groups with different characteristics (e.g. expectation, ability, motivation). Consistent with the employer knowledge framework and the individual difference hypothesis, we argue that different job and organisational attributes will appeal to applicants with different characteristics. The employer knowledge framework also suggests that employer familiarity (i.e. awareness) and reputation play an important role in a firm’s perceived attractiveness as a potential employer (Collins and Stevens, 2002; Lievens et al., 2005). According to marketing literature (e.g. Aaker, 1991), awareness demonstrates an individual’s cognition or knowledge about an organisation’s existence. A high level of employer familiarity or awareness is desirable because an applicant can recall the name of an employer (when prompted with a salient fact about the firm), and associate information they receive down the road with that employer. Employer reputation concerns the public evaluation of an organisation. Employer reputation conveys popular beliefs about a firm, which applicants may find attractive, and desire to associate themselves with (e.g. a trendy or prestigious firm to work for) (Turban and Cable, 2003). For example, previous research has found applicants rated socially responsible firms more attractively as potential employers (e.g. Gatewood et al., 1993; Highhouse et al., 1999; Turban and Greening, 1996). Finally, realistic information hypothesis (Breaugh and Starke, 2000; Rynes, 1991) proposes than an individual may possess more realistic information concerning a job or an organisation, as a result of having been exposed to the reality of work. We argue that coop students, who have some work experience, have more accurate information of what a job entails, have better insights into their own abilities (e.g. knowledge, skills) and what they want from a position or an employer. Methods This research is a part of a broader research project commissioned by a consortium of large Canadian companies interested in better understanding the views of university students on jobs, organisations, careers and perceptions of their organisation. The original data were collected from 20,771 respondents in Canada in 2004 using an internet-based survey. Respondents enrolled in business programs were selected for this study, because of our interest in management education. The students’ majors included accounting (n ¼ 592), actuarial science (n ¼ 163), computer science and information technology (n ¼ 1,405), business or commerce (n ¼ 2; 594), and human resources (n ¼ 157). The business students (n ¼ 4; 851) represented 23 percent of the original data set. Table I shows the demographic characteristics of the sample. Most of the respondents were studying full-time (91 percent), pursuing an undergraduate degree (86 percent), were in a university program (80 percent), were studying in Ontario (54 percent), graduating in the year of the study or a year later (61 percent), were in their third or fourth year of study (44 percent), and were 22 years old or younger (61 percent). Males were slightly more numerous than females (51 percent). Respondents also resided in each of the ten Canadian provinces and three territories. Respondents from


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Table I. Demographic characteristics of sample

Status Full-time Part-time Province or territory British Columbia Alberta Saskatchewan Manitoba Ontario Quebec New Brunswick Nova Scotia Prince Edward Island Newfoundland/Labrador Yukon North West Territories Nunavut Type of post-secondary school University College or Institute of Technology University College CEGEP Other Level of degree Bachelor’s Master’s PhD Other Grades (%) A þ (90-100) A (80-90) B þ (78-79) B (74-77) B 2 (70-73) C (60-69) D (50-59) F (, 50) Current year of study 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Year of graduation 2004 2005 2006 2007

n

%

4,388 445

90.8 9.2

853 663 67 18 2,635 447 114 84 4 8 1 0 0

17.6 12.5 1.4 0.4 54.5 9.2 2.4 1.7 0.1 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0

3,843 875 62 4 5

75.6 18.1 2.1 0.1 0.1

3,390 436 12 79

86.5 11.1 0.3 1.6

365 1,141 1,126 1,107 655 426 20 1

7.5 23.6 23.3 22.9 13.5 8.8 0.4 0.0

906 1,127 1,135 994 201 315 160

18.7 23.3 23.5 20.5 11.2 6.5 3.3

1,564 1,392 984 585

32.3 28.8 20.3 12.1

Total

(continued)

n 2008 2009 2010 Age 19 or younger 20-22 23-25 26-28 29-30 Over 30 Gender Female Male Options (of those measured) Aboriginal Disabilities Visible minority Work status Part-time Full-time Neither Hours worked 0-5 6-10 11-15 16-20 21-25 26-30 31 or more

%

199 31 84

4.1 0.6 1.7

717 2,229 1,028 338 152 378

14.9 46.4 21.4 7.0 3.2 7.0

2,340 2,444

48.9 51.1

45 69 1,237

2.0 3.0 42.0

1,652 637 2,487

34.6 13.3 52.1

Total


0.9 1.4 25.5

14.7 18.8 16.3 100 7.4 4.7 22.1

British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario were over-represented in the sample while students in the other provinces and territories were under-represented. Thus, while the study was not necessarily 100 percent representative of students in Canada, it nevertheless furnaces a data set on which conclusions about the transition from university into employment in Canada can be made. Measures Job and organisational attributes. Respondents were asked to assess the importance of 14 items pertaining to their desired job and organisational attributes, using a five-point scale (1 ¼ not at all important, 5 ¼ essential). The mean ratings of the 14 items are presented in Table II. These 14 items were factor analyzed using the principle components varimax rotation procedure. The varimax rotation was used to reduce the large number of variables in the data set into a smaller number of related factors. Four factors emerged accounting for 58 percent of the common variance and all had eigenvalues greater than 1.0. The four factors were “People” (e.g. good people to work with) – two items (a ¼ 0:85); “Reputation” (e.g. commitment to social responsibility) – five items

Table I.

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Table II. Desired job characteristics

Opportunities for advancement Good training opportunities, developing new skills Good people to work with Good people to report to Challenging work Good initial salary Work-life balance Job security Opportunities to have a personal impact Good health and benefits plan Organisation is a leader in its field Commitment to diversity Commitment to social responsibility Opportunity to travel

X

SD

n

4.6 4.3 4.3 4.2 4.0 4.0 3.9 3.9 3.8 3.7 3.5 3.4 3.3 3.0

0.72 0.81 0.83 0.84 0.89 0.88 0.98 0.96 0.98 1.04 1.00 1.22 1.08 1.22

4,832 4,823 4,834 4,826 4,825 4,839 4,829 4,828 4,827 4,830 4,821 4,826 4,823 4,832

(a ¼ 0:68); “Work” (e.g. challenging work) – four items (a ¼ 0:64); and “Benefits” (e.g. job security) – three items (a ¼ 0:57). These four measures were all significantly and positively inter-correlated (p , 0:001), and correspond to Cable and Turban’s (2001) people, job, and employer dimensions of the employer knowledge framework. Employer knowledge. The students were also asked to respond to 14 items, which assess their knowledge about organisations (i.e. familiarity, according to Cable and Turban, 2001) and the organisations’ recruitment practices (e.g. companies need to spend more time meeting and talking to students on campus, it is often best for person supervising me conduct the interview). The mean ratings for each of the items are presented in Table III. Respondents also rated how good each of 30 of Canada’s largest and best-known employers (almost all private sector firms) would be as a place to start their careers. Ratings were made on a ten-point scale (1 ¼ poor, 10 ¼ excellent). The reliability of this measure was 0.98. The mean across all 30 items was 4.8, indicating that all potential employers were generally seen as only moderately good places to start their careers. Responses ranged in every case from 1 to 10. Respondents were also asked if they had any knowledge of the industries, careers, and companies they wished to work for, and how long they expected to stay with their first employer. Job search process. We focused on campus career services as they are a primary source of information for university students seeking employment (Pritchard et al., 2004). Respondents indicated if they had used their career services, and if so, how effective was their services in providing help with in six areas (e.g. understanding their interests and skills, establishing career goals, developing a job search strategy). Respondents also indicated how important it was for them to receive help, and their satisfaction with each of the six areas. Finally, respondents were asked to indicate the factors that influenced their career planning (seeTable IV). Results Multiple regression analyses were undertaken to examine the relationships between the applicants’ characteristics, and their desired job and organisational attributes, employer knowledge, and job search behaviour. The applicants’ characteristics

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Most big companies offer more or less the same in terms of employment experiences I would not consider working for a company that I had not heard about before If I like a company’s products/services I will be much more interested in working for them Companies and organisations need to spend more time meeting and talking with students on campus Company-sponsored speakers on campus are a good way of promoting a company as a good place to work I often read brochures, annual reports, and editorials on organisations where I might be interested in working A hiring firm should hold after-school functions like receptions and information sessions It is best to have the person who will supervise me conduct the job interview An organisation that offers international opportunities interests me Career fairs are highly useful in helping decide what organisation I want to work for I expect to use the internet for my job search I expect my campus career services office to find me a job Companies should participate in career fairs even if they don’t have any jobs currently available I like the branded giveaways (e.g. pens, etc.) that companies sometimes hand out at career fairs

X

SD

n

2.8

1.02

4,781

2.3

1.01

4,779

4.1

0.82

4,778

4.0

0.84

4,768

4.0

0.85

4,773

3.3

1.07

4,769

3.9

0.82

4,772

3.9

0.91

4,770

4.0

1.06

4,767

3.4 4.2

1.04 0.87

4,771 4,758

2.9

1.19

4,762

3.3

1.11

4,771

3.6

1.04

4,772

considered in this study were age, gender, whether respondent was in a cooperative study program, whether respondent was a full-time or part-time student, whether respondent was currently working as well as going to college or university, year in their program, and the expected year of graduation. Job and organisational attributes Women, coop students and full-time students rated “People” (e.g. good people to work with) higher (bs ¼ 20:11, 2 0.03 and 0.04, respectively). Women, students with lower grades, in their earlier year of study, and non-coop students also rated “Reputation” (e.g. commitment to social responsibility) higher (bs ¼ 20:17, 0.05, 2 0.05 and 0.64, respectively). Students having higher grades, women and coop students rated “Work” (e.g. challenging work) higher (bs ¼ 20:10, 2 0.07, and 2 0.04, respectively). Finally, women, students studying full-time, students with lower grades, in their earlier years of study, and non-coop students rated “Benefits” (e.g. job security) more highly (bs ¼ 20:14, 2 0.06, 0.06, 2 0.05, and 0.04, respectively). In general, students found the most desirable job and organisational attributes were “opportunities for advancement,” “good training opportunities and skill development,” “good people to work with,” “good people to report to,” “challenging work,” and “a good initial salary” (all with means greater than 4.0). From an employer’s perspective,


Table III. Employer knowledge

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Table IV. Job search process (career services)

If used campus career services, how effective was it in helping you with . . . Understanding my interests and skills Establishing career goals Re´sume´ writing and interview skills Developing a job search strategy Identifying job opportunities Connecting directly with employers Importance of help with . . . Understanding my interests and skills Establishing career goals Re´sume´ writing and career skills Developing a job search strategy Identifying job opportunities Connecting directly with employers Satisfaction with career services Career counsellor Career/job fairs Job search workshops (e.g. re´sume´ writing, interviewing, etc.) Employment information sessions Job listings Resource materials (print, video, online) Career services web site Re´sume´ assistance

X

SD

n

2.9 2.8 3.7 0.31 3.3 3.2

0.75 0.72 0.87 0.83 0.79 0.74

2,690 2,633 3,012 2,885 3,184 3

4.0 4.0 4.4 4.2 4.5 4.5

1.03 0.99 0.84 0.86 0.73 0.73

4,772 4,771 4,763 4,764 4,758 4,761

3.2 3.0

0.79 0.76

2,025 2,709

3.4 3.4 3.6 3.2 3.5 3.6

0.82 0.84 0.87 0.75 0.83 0.79

2,649 2,476 3,316 2,464 3,132 2,721

these are fortunately under a firm’s control and are likely to contribute to both employee retention and firm performance. However, firms will have difficulty meeting expressed needs for advancement, as not everyone can be promoted. As a result, firms will need to develop realistic expectations during the recruiting process, or seek out students with more realistic expectations (e.g. coop students). Employer knowledge and self-insight Respondents had uncertain views on whether big companies offered similar employment experiences. In other words, larger firms appeared to be unable to distinguish themselves and the employment experience they can offer to students. Students were also more interested in working for firms whose products or services they like, and less willing to work for firms they know little about, suggesting the importance of employer familiarity (Cable and Turban, 2001). A majority of the respondents indicated knowledge of their preferred industry (77 percent), although fewer knew their specific careers (60 percent), and still fewer indicated knowledge of specific companies (21 percent). The most preferred industry (two choices could be made) were financial services (36 percent), IT (32 percent), advertising (27 percent) and management consulting (25 percent). Most students indicated a preference for large companies (65 percent), followed by medium-sized companies (55 percent), government/public service (36 percent), and running their own businesses (32 percent).

Men, coop students, and those nearing graduation indicated greater knowledge of a particular industry in which they wanted to work (bs ¼ 20:07, 0.06 and 0.04, respectively). Students in later years of study, having a higher grade point average (GPA), nearing graduation, and in coop programs indicated greater knowledge of a specific company in which they would work for (bs ¼ 20:09, 0.07, 0.08 and 0.06, respectively). Older students, those nearing graduation, coop students, and students with higher GPAs also indicated greater knowledge of their preferred careers (bs ¼ 20:15, 0.05, 0.04 and 0.03, respectively). Students in their earlier years of study, non-coop students, older students, and students having higher grades rated the 30 companies as better places to start their career (bs ¼ 0:08, 0.05, 0.04 and 0.03, respectively). It should be noted that almost a third of the sample did not provide responses to these 30 items (firms). These students did not have enough information on these specific companies on which to base their responses in any meaningful way. These figures ranged from a low of 10 percent for one employer to a high of over 50 percent on another. Finally, respondents indicated how long they would like to stay with their first employer. A total of 17 percent indicated less than 2 years; 38 percent indicated three to five years, 8.5 percent indicated six to ten years; 14 percent indicated more than ten years; and 23 percent indicated that they did not know. Less than half of the respondents (41 percent) indicated a preference for finding an organisation for their whole career; 30 percent indicated a preference for working for more than one organisation, and 29 percent did not know their preferences. Job search process The respondents believed that organisations should spend more time meeting with students on campus, sponsor speakers, and hold company information sessions. However, the students also found written material (provided by organisations) to be less helpful, had low expectations that their campus career offices would get them a job, and expected to use the internet more frequently in their job searches. This suggests a shift away from traditional recruitment mediums (i.e. career services, company brochures) to more contemporary approaches such as the internet. Only about one-third (30 percent) of the respondents reporting using their campus career services regularly (six or more times). The most common reasons for not using them included not being aware of the services offered (8 percent), doubting services would be helpful (6 percent), not needing career help (6 percent), believing services not oriented to them (4 percent), and inconvenience (4 percent). Students who used their campus career services rated them at 3.1 (3 ¼ good). Only a small number of users (4 percent) had no opinion. Non-coop students, students in later years of study, full-time students, older students, women, and students with higher GPAs made greater use of their career services during the past year (bs ¼ 20:16, 2 0.08, 2 0.06, 2 0.06, 2 0.04 and 2 0.03, respectively). Students with higher grades, non-coop students, students in their earlier years of study, and older students rated help from career services more highly (bs ¼ 0:11, 0.04, 0.04, and 0.04, respectively). Students using their career services rated them higher if they were coop students and graduating in later years (bs ¼ 20:06 and 0.05, respectively). Students in earlier years of study, and younger students who had not used their career services, rated them lower (bs ¼ 20:12 and 0.08, respectively).


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Students with higher GPAs, coop students, and men also indicated more confidence in their job search following use of their university career services (bs ¼ 20:14, 2 0.07, 2 0.06 and 0.04, respectively). A majority of business students also indicated they would be willing to accept less than their ideal job in order to start their careers (79 percent); only 2 percent would not do so. Finally, respondents were asked about the factors that influenced their career planning. They indicated online employment resources (39 percent), parents (36 percent), friends (34 percent), professors (28 percent), printed resource material (28 percent), and campus career centre staff (22 percent), to be important influences when making their career choices. Cooperative students Students involved in coop education (n ¼ 1; 870), were also compared with students not involved in such programs (n ¼ 2; 785). Because of the large sample sizes, most differences reached statistical significance (p , 0:05). Students in coop programs were younger, had higher grades, were more likely to be full-time, were in later years of study, and included more men; coop and non-coop students expected to graduate at the same time. Students in coop programs rated “People” and “Work” higher than non-coop students, while non-coop students rated “Reputation” and “Benefits” higher than coop students. Coop students also used their campus career services more frequently during the past year, rated their services higher, and had more confidence in their job search based on using these services. Coop students also indicated greater knowledge of specific companies they wanted to work for, the industries and specific careers, than did non-coop students. Finally, coop students also rated the 30 companies lower as good places to start their careers than did non-coop students. Discussion It is predicted that there will be a shortage of skills in the next decade. Employers will be engaged in a war for talent and are targeting university students to fill their managerial and professional positions. In light of this, employers will need to connect with university students to understand their work values and expectations. This study examines the views of university students on jobs, careers, and their job search process among a large sample of Canadian university students enrolled in a business program. Business students were chosen because are more likely to enter managerial and professional ranks, and will be highly sought after by organisations. A few notable observations from the study are highlighted here. First, the coop students in this study appeared to have more realistic expectations about their careers, and indicated knowledge of specific industry, company, or career they were interested in, than non-coop students. Coop students also expressed more confidence in their job search, and used their campus career services more frequently. This suggests that coop student have a greater “self-insight” (Breaugh, 1992) of their own abilities, desires, expectations, and self-confidence, than their non-coop counterparts. Thus, if employers are concerned with positive post-hire outcomes (e.g. job satisfaction, retention) among new recruits, then they should seek to participate in coop education programs, to help influence the expectations of university students. Second, coop students were also more concerned with the “people” and

“work” dimensions of a firm, and less on a firm’s “reputation” and “benefits.” Coop students were also less likely than non-coop students to rate the top 30 companies as good places to start their career. This suggests that coop students, having being exposed to the realities of work, placed a different emphasis on the desired job and organisational attributes, than non-coop students, and did not necessarily find firms with great reputation (the top 30 firms) to be more attractive. Consequently, employers must use different strategies to appeal to coop students, as image and reputation alone were not sufficient to appeal to this group of students. Students with high abilities (GPA) also reported similar preferences to those of coop students. They similarly expressed greater confidence in their job search, and indicated knowledge of the industry and careers they were interested in, than those with lower grades, suggesting a high degree of self-insight. Students with higher grades also rated “work” as an important attribute, while those with lower grades indicated a firm’s “reputation” and “benefits” as being important. However, students with higher grades used career services more often, and rated the top 30 firms as good places to start, signalling that they do not have as much information about employers as coop students have, to base their career decisions. There also appears to be a shift in the job search process (toward computers and the internet) among university students in general. Consistent with the Education Benchmarking, Inc. (2004) findings, students have little expectations of their campus career services, were less satisfied with them, and consequently use them less frequently. Students also indicated a preference for more employer presence on campus (e.g. sponsoring speakers, information sessions, career fairs). Thus, universities are well advised to revamp the services currently being offered, both to students and prospective employers, and to examine the role of career services in light of the internet age. In this research, we explored the career aspirations and expectations of university students, and extended previous literature on recruitment by examining the applicant pool characteristics and organisational level variables. Although there is an abundant of research on applicant attraction, it appears that the values, expectations, and job search process among university students have shifted. Both universities and employers have an important role to play in fostering more realistic expectations among students, who would be the workforce of the future. In this regard, we believe that universities and employers will benefit significantly with coop education. Coop education can highlight some of the realities of jobs and careers in contemporary organisations. Employers should also be concerned with their image and reputation among university students. Although coop students rated reputable employers lower than non-coop students, those with higher abilities (i.e. GPA) appear to have little information about prospective employers. Thus, there is tremendous value for employers to invest their time and efforts on campus to increase their familiarity and reputation among the student population. This study, while based on a sample of Canadian students, is particularly noteworthy for several reasons. First, employers in countries experiencing a shortage of skills, such as the USA and the UK (Corporate Leadership Council, 2005a, b), are well advised to learn from the experience in Canada. In the war for talent, it will be the students who will be selecting which organisations they want to work for, based on the kind of working conditions and flexibility employers can offer in terms of location,


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technology, workspace, and human resource policies (Burke and Ng, 2006). Second, this sample being more highly educated, represent an important segment of the workforce as the university students of today take over corporate reins and become the leaders of tomorrow. Thus, understanding their attitudes and career aspirations is too important to be ignored. Third, business students’ expectations can be unrealistic and those outside the control of the organisations can be costly to the employer. Therefore, firms should make an effort to reduce unmet expectations by providing realistic job previews and managing such expectations. In closing, we call for more research into the attitudes and expectations of the next generation of workers. In particular, more research is necessary in understanding the attitudes of students as they pertain to contemporary organisations and the changing nature of work. For example, are university students prepared to accept non-standard work arrangements such as free-lance and contract work where employment security is no longer the norm? Are they also equipped with the skills and attitudes necessary to succeed in a global economy, including a willingness to undertake global assignments? Although many jobs in industrialised countries are being outsourced and off-shored, new opportunities are simultaneously being created in other emerging economies in opposite parts of the world. We also call for more research on students’ to be conducted across different countries and continents. We expect that a pattern of differences will likely exist and it will be incumbent upon organisations and multinationals to meet the career aspirations and expectations of the workforce of the future, not just in Canada, the USA or the UK, but also in Brazil, Russia, India and China. References Aaker, D.A. (1991), Managing Brand Equity: Capitalizing on the Value of a Brand Name, Free Press, New York, NY. Barber, A.E., Daly, C.L., Giannantonio, C.M. and Phillips, J.M. (1994), “Job search activities: an examination of changes over time”, Personnel Psychology, Vol. 47 No. 4, pp. 739-66. Barber, A.E., Wesson, M.J., Roberson, Q.M. and Taylor, M.S. (1999), “A tale of two job markets: organizational size and its effects on hiring practices and job search behavior”, Personnel Psychology, Vol. 52 No. 4, pp. 841-67. Bergman, B. (1978), “Employer evaluations in cooperative education programs”, Human Resource Management, Vol. 17 No. 3, pp. 31-2. Breaugh, J.A. (1992), Recruitment: Science and Practice, PWS-Kent, Boston, MA. Breaugh, J.A. and Starke, M. (2000), “Research on employee recruitment: so many studies, so many remaining questions”, Journal of Management, Vol. 26 No. 3, pp. 405-34. Burke, R.J. and Ng, E.S.W. (2006), “The changing nature of work and organizations: implications for human resource management”, Human Resource Management Review, Vol. 16 No. 2, pp. 86-94. Cable, D.M. and Turban, D.B. (2001), “Establishing the dimensions, sources and value of job seekers’ employer knowledge during recruitment”, in Ferris, G.E. (Ed.), Research in Personnel and Human Resource Management, Elsevier Science, New York, NY. Collins, C.J. and Stevens, C.K. (2002), “The relationship between early recruitment-related activities and the application decisions of new labor-market entrants: a brand equity approach to recruitment”, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 87 No. 6, pp. 1121-33. Corporate Leadership Council (2003), State of the Canadian Workforce, Corporate Executive Board, Washington, DC.

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