engleski

Networking as the Information Seeking Behaviour of Young People in Osijek in the Job Search Process

According to the data of the Croatian Employment Agency, subsidiary Osijek, there were 2, 307 unemployed people aged 15-29 at the end of 2018. Young people seek information on vacancies and potential employers from different sources, through different channels and in different ways. The research results show that a large number of young people are employed through information provided by family members or friends. The job-search theory highlights the importance of informal sources of information as the key to collect job information. The use of informal information channels is a specific job search method whereas social networking is deemed as information seeking behaviour that plays an increasingly important role in the employment process. Since young people aged 18-24 are the most active social network users, it can be assumed that, among other things, young people seek information on vacancies. The aim of this paper is to determine whether young people in Osijek use informal sources of information in the job search process or not and to identify the role of networking therein. The purpose of this paper is to learn about the methods used by young people when searching for a job and about the types of information seeking behaviour in the job search process, particularly those leading to successful employment. The research takes advantage of qualitative methodology. The data is collected by means of deep interviews. The results reveal which information sources are used by young people in Osijek in their job search process. Furthermore, they disclose the role of networking in the same job search process.

information behaviour, job-search methods, networking, unemployment, young people

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