Tips For Recruiting Millennials
Millennials are the newest generation enter into the workforce - being those people born between the early 1980s and early year 2000 - also known as Generation Y. They will make up 50% of the global workforce, and will very soon outnumber Generation X workers, as increasingly Baby Boomers retire, and they will eventually by 2030 make up 75% of the labour market.
It is therefore crucial for you to consider how Millennials look for jobs - this could potentially guarantee that all the best possible talent are seeing your vacancies and become prospective candidates or employees.
Millennials were born with a phone in their hand so the majority search for jobs on their phones - with social media platforms, especially LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram being the most popular.
Almost two thirds of millennials visit company’s social media sites to find out about advertised jobs; this means that it is vitally important that you keep these up-to-date, regularly populated and that your company brand and ethos is reflected here. Candidates will want to see actual photographs of the company and employees (as opposed to stock images) - being fake is not something that this generation will tolerate. All current vacancies should be easily viewed - and applied for - on this site.
Job advert should include details that will motivate them - they want to be part of a team, feel valued and that they are making a difference, and also care what people think about them. Although millennials tend to have a sense of entitlement they are motivated by benefits, perks and other rewards. To this end you should highlight any bonus packages and opportunities for advancement and professional development.
Millennials – are smart, well informed, and unwilling to consider one-size-fits-all recruitment strategies. Instead, they favour companies that are able to conduct a dialogue with them, understand them as individuals, build relationships, and offer a hiring experience that looks at not just their skills, but also at their needs and aspirations.
During the interview meeting explain what they can contribute to, how they can impact your business and what they might learn while there. Sell interesting projects and campaigns or movements when courting millennials. They are happy if they are told everything there is to know, this increases their positive experience - again important to make them feel involved and valued. Location of interview is important, they do not want to feel hidden away, which gives rise to fears that the company has something to hide. Show them the working environment and introduce them to key members of staff - this gives them a chance to connect with and assess the age, culture and backgrounds of the existing workforce. Millennials want to see the space, meet the people, hear the conversations, and get a feel for the general atmosphere.
High on their list of priorities is flexible working hours - whilst they may not expect to be able to work from home every day, they would like this option to be available when need be and have a less rigid working pattern than may have been previously expected. This generation tend to be idealistic, wanting to work for companies that they consider to be ethical, to reflect their moral beliefs and be extensions of the consumer brands that they set high standards by in their personal life.
Another Millennial trait is the expectation of rapid career advancement, and this is why a portfolio career is common, with the average Gen-Y-er changing jobs every 1.5 years, compared to the 7-year typical stay for Baby Boomers and Generation X employees.