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Millennial Madness - 5 Key Tips for
Effectively Recruiting Gen Y
By Lisa Orrell of The Orrell Group
Millennials (Gen Y) are being actively recruited prior to,
and upon, college graduation. Many are already busy navigating the waters of
their first professional job since being hired a year or so ago. But why is
this new generation the new darlings of the workforce? And how can you
successfully attract and recruit this sought after group of young talent?
Keep reading!
Let me start by saying that companies, of all sizes, are spending
record-breaking amounts of money on recruiting the Millennials. Companies
like Deloitte, Toyota, IBM and other brands you know are taking this very
seriously, so this isn’t just me saying they are a big deal to the future of
our professional workforce. Companies all over the U.S. and abroad are
starting to see it, too. Why has this new generation of young professionals
turned into such a hot commodity? One key factor is the looming reality of
the Boomer Brain Drain that companies across the country are going to feel
over the next 5-15 years (starting now as the oldest Boomers hit retirement
age). Here’s one simple statistic from the Office of Employment Projections
that will quickly put this into perspective: The average large company in
the U.S. will lose 30-40 percent of its workforce due to retirement over the
next 5-10 years. Ouch.
According to the Employment Policy Foundation, based on the current
population growth trend that is occurring in the U.S., we could be facing a
labour shortage of educated and skilled workers of over 35 million people in
the next 3 decades! This is a big deal and critical to our country’s ability
to maintain our current level of productivity and competitiveness worldwide.
And we have as many GenXers on the planet as there are going to be, so the
replacements for this massive Boomer exodus are the Millennials. That is why
M.B.A. students are being offered amazing employment packages, starting
salaries are being jacked-up higher than ever, and impressive signing
bonuses are being offered. Many of the top, young college grads are being
pursued and courted like top college draft picks entering the NBA.
Basically, recruiting and retaining them has turned into a big, competitive
business.
Now that you have a general idea of why companies are clamoring to hire
them, following are 5 key attraction and recruitment tips that your
organization may want to consider.
1) Go Where They Are - Running ads on Craig’s List or Monster.com
aren’t enough. This generation has grown-up experiencing life online and
congregate on places like MySpace, FaceBook, YouTube and Second Life.
Consider having a company presence in these communities to attract
Millennials to your brand and make them aware of you. You can interview/
videotape employees about how great it is to work at your company and post
it on YouTube. Deloitte has done an amazing job posting fun videos on
YouTube to attract Millennial talent, so check out their posts for ideas.
Make them interesting and you’ll get viewers. And it’s basically free and
easy to do!
2) Preach Work-Life Balance - This generation is showing up
totally aware of work-life balance. They value time with family and friends,
and they value their time doing things they enjoy. Boomers and Gen X
employees typically didn’t ask for flextime until they had been in the
workforce for 15+ years. Millennials are showing up and requesting it from
day one. And, the smart companies are offering it.
3) Invite the Folks - As a whole, this generation considers
their parents part of their social circle. They admire their parents, they
like their parents, and they respect their opinion. Perhaps you’ve heard the
new term “Helicopter Parents”. It means that even when their kids go off to
college (or work), they don’t stop hovering over them and guiding them.
Believe it or not, recruiters are now finding themselves taking a top
candidate to lunch for a schmooze fest and he/she brings their parents.
Recruiters are realizing that convincing the parents it’s the best job for
their daughter, Sally, is as important as convincing Sally. Well-known
companies are even creating “Parent Days” where job candidates can bring
their parents to tour the company’s work environment, meet their potential
managers, etc.
4) Preach Mentoring - These young adults want to know you will
provide them with plenty of guidance and mentoring! If you don’t have a
mentor program in-place, create one and emphasize it during the interview
process. I recently conducted a seminar with a well-known company about
recruiting and retaining Millennials as they had been suffering from a high
turnover of Millennials. When I spoke to the Millennials who had left, all
mentioned the company hadn’t provided enough mentoring and training
programs.
5) Emphasize They Will Get Plenty of Face Time With Managers -
A recent survey of Millennial professionals, conducted by Robert Half
International and Yahoo! Hot Jobs, found that 60 percent of Millennials want
to hear from their managers at least once a day. This generation will not do
well with just one weekly “check in” session with their managers. They want
feedback daily and an opportunity to communicate with their manager(s) for
input on their projects.
So are the rumours you’ve heard about them being high maintenance true? Yes.
But, they will also be high performing. Our country (and world!) has just
begun to feel their impact as they reach their mid-20s. And, as with
generations in the past, this generation will create new definitions for
work environments, success, leadership, communication, management,
entrepreneurship, corporate culture and professional relationships. The
successful companies will adjust their corporate cultures and recruitment
and retention strategies to appeal to this unique generation.
Lisa Orrell is the author of the book, Millennials Incorporated. She is a
speaker/consultant who helps companies recruit, manage & retain Millennials
& also improve their generation relations. Visit
www.TheOrrellGroup.com
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