Piloting the Millennial Falcon

Thoughts on Hiring and Keeping Millennial Workers.

Mentioning the need to recruit Millennials is sometimes followed by dread – a certain hesitation or a moment of panic can occur. But this shouldn’t be the case. Since 2015, Millennials are the fastest growing workforce, and they are easily the most unique once hired.

Who are these Millennials? Well, that answer varies depending on whom you ask, but simply put, this generation ranges from people born in the early 1980s to the late 1990s. They are dominating the job market, and you better be ready to find the best of the best. The trouble isn’t finding talented Millennials – its learning how to recruit them and keep them.

Communication

Millennials require perpetual communication. They have been raised in a society that values Facebook and Twitter updates, or Instagram do’s and don’ts, and the older tradition of only using the phone to call and leave messages will no longer work. They want – crave – instant communication. All forms of communication. Which means you can’t be afraid to chat on social sites or use text messaging when first reaching out. Millennials desire this type of personal interaction, and they want to work somewhere that is current with trends.

Change your strategy, get creative, and use all forms of social media to reach out and connect. They will love how progressive you are, and they will respond quickly. If you don’t make them feel important, they will dash for the next best thing, so take the time to learn new and innovative strategies. But don’t rely solely on digital and social media communication – make sure to continue face-to-face contact throughout the interview process. Face-to-face interviews are vital, no matter the generation, and they are as old as Paul Revere’s ride. You absolutely can lure in Millennials with modern techniques, but to sell the company, you need direct, in-person contact.

Sharing Company Culture

Now that you have the Millennial intrigued by your messaging approach, what’s next? Your company. Once you have the Millennial talking to you, it is a guarantee they will be online, looking up the company as they are messaging you, and it is imperative you have a heavy online presence. You need to be covered across the board, which means you need to be on every social media site. That’s right! Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram… you need to be everywhere, and you need to have pictures. A couple of retro pictures from back in the day aren’t going to cut it here.

Nowadays, you are going to need a lot of videos and pictures showing the world what a day in the life of your company is truly like from the inside out. Millennials want to work for a company that has an incredible culture and feels like home, so being able to see current employees at a company picnic, company birthday party, or even a company Christmas party is always a wonderful touch.

What type of impression are you wanting to give? How do you view your company? Stay true to the core of what your company values when sharing your story online, but the key is to always stay current. Post your hiring needs of course, but post as much as you can and as often as you can, and encourage fellow employees to post regularly too. 

What’s Valued

What do Millennials value more than a great culture? Perks. Benefits and perks. Millennials are highly sought after, and if you want to get the good ones early on, you better have some advantages over the competition. These days, companies are getting creative when giving compensation packages. The money is important of course, but what else? Flexible schedules, working remotely, and paid time off to volunteer are some of the emerging ideas.

Ask a Baby-Boomer, and they are likely to laugh at these ideas, but it is crucial if you want to snag the best of the best. Evaluate your benefits packages and rethink what is possible. It could be as easy as free snacks and drinks in the kitchen or even a fitness club allowance. It is no longer acceptable to only offer healthcare and 401(k) benefits; you better start thinking outside the box if you want to attract the best Millennials. Give them options. The ability to work somewhere that stays current with these trends will drastically enhance the offer.

Development

Once you’ve hired your perfect Millennial, your work is not finished. Now is the time to mentor and develop these candidates. Millennials are always going to ask, “Is there room for growth?” and you better be ready to react, or they will find another company to call home. Millennials want to make new friends, learn new and exciting skills, and they want to be rewarded for their hard work. Take pride in the development phase and stay connected. Stay engaged. They may have high expectations for their company, but they also have high expectations for themselves, so take advantage of these ambitious individuals.

Offer incentives for getting certifications or learning new skills. Mentor in teams. Millennials love working in teams, plus this can be a fun way to get to know each other. And make sure you are giving feedback – the good and the bad. It needs to be constructive, but it needs to be honest, and they will appreciate your effort to stay in touch. You don’t have to groom Millennials for world domination, but you do need to do your part to keep them excited and productive.

Evolve and Improve

The best part of hiring Millennials is getting new and exciting perspectives, because your company should constantly evolve and continuously improve. What better way to do that than to hire more and more of this rising generation? They are confident, they speak up, and they maintain a savvy presence that cannot be ignored. There is a reason they are hard to find and even harder to keep, and your company needs their ideas and their attitude to push toward the future.

Times are changing. Technology is out of date as quickly as it becomes available. It takes a master’s degree in social media to keep up with the latest communication trends, and the numbers don’t lie! Millennials have taken over the workforce, and to stay relevant in the ever-progressive business world, you must embrace the new generation or FOMO (fear of missing out, for readers not versed in Millennial shorthand) could have an entirely different meaning for your company. 

Molly Smith is a recruiting coordinator at Revere Control Systems.

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