Shiny and fresh-faced, new grads are just in the midst of hunting for their first jobs out of school. But what does this elusive generation, apparently now called “Generation I”, look for in an employer?

A survey done by Addeco sheds some light on the cohort. The study looked at U.S. college grads between the ages of 24 and 26 with a four year degree who recently entered the workforce. Here are some of the noticeable findings from the study.

Idealism is alive and well

The majority of new grads surveyed (58%) expected to get most of a list of 15 employment benefits like job security, benefits, a flexible work schedule; even things like a cultural fit and a great working relationship with their manager. In fact, 18% of those surveyed said they would actually leave their current job if they were assigned work that didn’t fit their interests. As much as this prompts a hearty chortle from anyone over 30, there’s something kind of nice about that non-jaded, ready-to-take-on-the-world, not-going-to-settle kind of attitude.

Technology rules

As we discussed before in this Workopolis article, new grads love their Facebook. This survey found a whopping 38% of them surveyed would turn down an opportunity if they couldn’t access Facebook at work. Another 32% of them said they still have their phone bills paid by mom, so take from that what you will.

It’s only temporary (but that’s OK)

Well, it’s official. If there was any part of the previous generation that was hanging onto the idea of a ‘job for life’, this generation has put it to bed. Only 3% of respondents expected to stay in a job for more than five years in the next ten years; and more than a third didn’t expect to stay at any one job for more than three years. But really, is this exclusive to new grads? It’s also not a bad thing. Jobs are a learning ground. There’s a lot of benefits to hiring so-called 'job hoppers' for employers.

Willing to move

Not surprisingly, college grads are willing to relocate for a job.  A massive 94% said they would be willing to move for the right reasons. And what is that exactly? The top reasons for relocation include job offers with higher pay (73%), or an offer in their dream city (51%), or an offer from their dream company (59%). And what’s a dream company? A survey of more than 3500 Canadian business students had the top three “dream employers” as the Federal Government, Apple, and Google.