Job Pursuit intentions of Gen Y MBA Students: The Effects of Job and Organizational Attributes

Abstract

Today, organizations realize that people are the only real assets that provide them the competitive advantage in this dynamic business environment. The younger generation or the Gen Y is set to replace the older generation and for organizations it is challenging to manage a multi-generational workforce in this transitional phase. Young management graduates are also an important source of recruitment for organizations to fill entry level positions. These new entrants into the workforce come with expectations and characteristics distinct from the previous generations. Organizations aspiring to tap this talented workforce realize that they have to understand Gen Y’s job aspirations and their perceived importance of job and organizational 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 influence of the perceived importance level of Job and Organizational Attributes on Job Pursuit Intention of management students in India. In addition, differences among the male and female student segments in perceived importance level of the job and organizational attributes is also explored. Job and Organizational Attributes exhibited significant effects on Job Pursuit Intention. The factors “Job benefits” and “Challenging work” emerged as the most predominant predictor of Job pursuit Intention of management students. Further, individuals were more likely to pursue jobs in organizations which offered “Challenging work” and attractive “Job Benefits”. No significant gender differences in the study variables were observed