Your Guide to Hiring Millenials

A recent report from Gallup says that there are approximately 73 million millennials (people born between 1981 and 1996) in America. By 2020, this group is expected to make up 50 percent of the workforce and 75 percent by 2030 according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. As you know, millennials are entirely different from baby boomer and Generation X employees. It is vital for the future health and sustainability of your organization to know how to recruit this next generation that is taking over the workforce by storm.

Tips for Attracting Millennials

As a talent recruiting firm, our team has noticed some clear, overarching themes when it comes to attracting millennials to an organization.

1. Be Flexible. Organizations must implement ways for team members to work remotely, have flexible schedules, and create collaborative environments.

2. Be Purposeful. Salary isn’t the end game anymore. Millennials are looking for meaningful work and companies that will invest in them personally.

3. Be Present. When conducting a job search, millennials use on average of 16 resources to search for jobs and research potential employers. Organizations must have a professional digital presence as well as a positive reputation.

How to Successfully Recruit Millennials

“People come for the brand, convert for the job, and stay for the culture.” – Charlotte Marshall

The lines between recruiting and marketing have begun to blur. This is especially true when it comes to recruiting millennials. From our experience, here is a process to strengthen your recruiting efforts.

1. Identify Your Target Market. The first step may sound like an excerpt right out of a marketing textbook. There are many other employers fighting for the same candidates. To stand out from the competition, be targeted in your approach. Identify your ideal candidate (a.k.a. target market) by asking the following questions:

+Where do candidates need to be located? Is your company willing to relocate?

+ How much experience does the candidate need?

+ What are your ideal candidates’ interests?

+ What key traits will your candidate have? Utilize assessments such as Strength Finder and DiSC to speak to these in more objective terms.

+ What would your ideal candidate be looking for in an employer?

Use these key identifiers to develop tailored job postings, influence your process, and guide your decision making.

2. Create Meaningful Job Postings. Often companies get stuck in a rut by creating a laundry list of needs they want from a candidate. This includes a list of job requirements, skills, and experiences the candidate needs to possess when coming into the role. These are great things to define especially when it comes to making a decision later in the process. However, this is not the best way to attract a candidate to your job or company because the focus is placed on the company not the candidate.

Instead, recruiters need to shift from traditional job descriptions to job postings. A job posting is shorter, easier to read, describes the value of the job to the candidate, and provides a clear growth path for the role. For example:

+ A traditional job description: Responsible for designing components, circuits, instruments, and parts, preparing documentation, and running reports for management to review on a quarterly basis to help with decision making.

+ A job posting: You will get to lead and collaborate with a cross-functional team to design innovative products, engage with customers, and interact with leadership.

The job posting example is much more appealing to a prospective candidate. It puts them in the scenario by using the word “you”. It shows them the value they will add rather than a task they need to complete. As you develop postings, reference the list of your ideal candidate identifiers. Keep their interests and values in mind. Other points to keep in mind while writing postings are:

+ Limit the length of your job postings from 300 to 500 words.

+ Use job titles that are clear, easy to understand, and findable in a simple online search.

+ Be creative by including photos, video, or creative language depending on what’s appropriate.

3. Develop an Employer Value Proposition (EVP). An EVP will clarify and summarize what your company has to offer candidates. For example, maybe your company offers educational opportunities, fitness memberships, or community service projects. There isn’t a one size fits all approach for this. It has to be unique to your company or it will come across as disingenuous.

4. Communicate Your Culture. Create messaging for your team on how to communicate your company’s culture. Consistency is key. This will solidify your brand, communicate value to potential candidates, and give candidates a real feel as to what your internal culture is like. If your company has a marketing team, partner with them to develop language for your team to use in verbal communication as well as digital, print, and other platforms. This is be the best way to keep a consistent brand message and drive organic traffic and referrals.

5. Promote Your Employer Brand. Once you’ve created a brand and solid messaging, the next step is to share it. Everyone knows that a company’s presence on social media and other digital platforms is extremely beneficial for sales and recruiting. However, the key to success is to be smart about which platforms your company participates in. Participating in too many platforms or not investing enough in a platform can lead to a diluted brand. This could have a negative impact on candidates or no impact at all. On the other hand, by intentionally choosing digital platforms that your ideal candidates participate in, and taking the time to create useful content and actively participate in conversation, you can drive organic attention to your company and job openings. Remember, millennials are using an average of 16 channels while job searching. They will notice if your brand isn’t consistent and authentic— this is key.

Identifying your target market will give you and your recruiting team clear direction and make the entire hiring process better and more efficient. In each step of your hiring process, keep your decisions in check by asking, “Does this help attract my ideal candidate?” Develop messaging that conveys the unique value and opportunities your company offers. Consistently communicate your brand through job postings, your team members, and the digital platforms you strategically choose to participate in. Most importantly, remember to be deliberate, authentic, and present.

The DISHER Talent Solutions Team enjoys partnering with organizations with agile solutions to help our customers reach their full potential. Let us know if we can help your team with technical and specialized recruiting, talent consulting, or leadership and organizational development.

Written By: Kimberly Bauer, Talent Solutions Marketing Specialist

Kimberly is a talent acquisition professional that specializes in market research, employment branding, data base management and process improvement. Her degree in Nonprofit and Public Administration from Grand Valley State University and 9 years of work experience have given her the skills to partner with companies to create a talent strategy and improve their employment brand. Kimberly loves kayaking, hiking, camping, traveling, and art— in addition to her husband and golden retriever.