Abstract:

This study examines College Students’ informationseeking behavior, especially selection and use of information sources for job hunting. The sample includes 18 undergraduate students who would graduate and were successful in job hunting. The study explores the issue by semistructured indepth interviews. Both qualitative and quantitative data analysis were performed. The results indicate that college students mainly use two sorts of information sources, such as offline and online information sources. The former mainly includes campus interviews and recruitments, internship, and social relations; the latter mainly involves recruitment websites, the websites of university’s career service, the organizations’ official websites, campus BBS, and social media. In addition, the study indicates that college students consider information quality and quantity, timeliness, feedback efficiency, cost, and external forces. They are also concerned with some criteria when selecting and using information sources. The study provides empirical data to reveal that using multiple information sources for job searching is common for the students. The study adds new knowledge to information behavior research. It contributes positively to guiding students to use information sources for successful job hunting effectively.

Keywords: Undergraduates, Job hunting, Information sources, Information seeking behavior