JOB ATTRIBUTES INFLUENCING JOB PURSUIT INTENTION OF GEN Y MBA STUDENTS: INVESTIGATION’

Abstract

In today’s globalized world characterised by rapid changes brought about by high competition, disruptive innovations, technological advances, organisations realize that to have a competitive advantage employees with right skills are vital. The recent influx of Gen Y into the workforce has focused recruiter’s and organisation’s attention towards them as young graduates are an important source of recruitment for organisations to fill entry level positions. These new entrants into the workforce come with expectations and characteristics distinct from the previous generations. Organisations aspiring to tap this talented workforce realize that they have to understand Gen Y’s job aspirations and their perceived importance of job attributes, so that they can suitably promote their organization as a good place to work. An understanding of their expectations will help organizations develop strategies to attract and retain right talent from this promising applicant pool. This paper aims to explore the impact of the perceived importance level of Job Attributes on Job Pursuit Intention of Gen Y management students in India. In addition, differences among the male and female student segments in perceived importance level of the job attributes is also explored. Respondents consisted of 483 Gen Y MBA students from business schools of Coimbatore in their second year of the two-year full time MBA program. Self-administered questionnaires were used to gather data. Job Attributes exhibited significant effects on Job Pursuit Intention. No significant gender differences in the study variables were observed. Findings and implications of the study are discussed