In 2014, 36% of the workforce was made up of Millennials who were between 18 and 35 years old. This percentage is expected to rise to 75% by 2025.
According to a study done by UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School and the YEC, most Millennials value jobs with growth opportunities, which include both personal and career growth. To them, it is more important to have jobs that are aligned with their passion than to have to jobs that pay more.
Some refer to Millennials as the most entrepreneurial generation ever. So, how can recruiters engage them and exploit their natural talent for technology, creativity, and ambition?
1. Keep the recruiting process personal
In order to engage Millennials, the recruiting process must be dynamic and interactive. They prefer meaningful, fluid, and relevant interaction to standard static experience. In addition, they appreciate flexibility and prefer engagement conducted from a computer, tablet, or even a smart phone to traditional face-to-face meetings. Some Millennials also express frustration with recruiters who don’t do their homework on recruits and communicate with non-personalized or canned messages. This often leads to bad fitted jobs and a waste of time for both the recruit and the recruiter.
2. Keep the recruiting process efficient
Most hiring processes are time-consuming and require a lot of paperwork. Because of this, some Millennials choose to opt out of the process. In order to engage these Millennials, recruiters have to keep the process efficient, such as screening, interviewing, and scheduling in a single engagement. The process also has to be transparent, which means that the candidates are kept in the loop throughout the recruiting process.
3. Make them feel appreciated
During the recruiting process, it is important to give Millennials the feeling that they are asset to the company and their works will be appreciated. They also want honest feedback. They need to be able to ask questions that allow them to understand the company and how they can fit into the company culture. They also want frequent and honest feedback. Recruiters need to keep the candidates “warm” even when there are no job openings at the time.
4. Let them make a difference
Millennials like meaningful work. They want to work for organizations that can make a difference in the society. They want to identify with the organization’s brand and a greater cause. They want to know that the company they work for is in sync with their personal values. To recruit and retain these Millennials, you have to give them the flexibility to complete a task the way they want to. After all, as long as they can provide the desired result, does it matter how they do it?
