How do we Approach Millennials?
All of the available information on Gen Yers has one underlying commonality: approach. Advice on understanding the traits of Millennials or how to hire and retain people from this group is intended to modify an employer’s approach. Here’s a group of people and their background; now use this information (and suggested methods) when dealing with them.
Yet, should companies be changing or adjusting their recruiting practices all for Millennials? Susan Vitale, chief marketing officer at iCIMS, says yes. Vitale believes employers should tailor some of their recruiting practices when it comes to Millennials.
“The saying goes, “fish where the fish are,’’’ Vitale said. And with 80 million young adults born between 1976 and 2001, Millennials are most certainly the fish.
So, behold, yet another “how to” on approaching Millennials, this one in three ‘example steps’ from a company that has already taken them.
1. Package your jobs ‘Millennial style’
Most often it’s not what you say, but how you say it. This also rings true for recruitment communications with Millennials. Vitale explained how important the content in Millennial-targeted job descriptions is. Descriptions should tell these candidates what to expect for career development and career opportunities. Noting all traveling and learning abilities is crucial because these areas are important to this group. Including links and videos also help engage Millennials. The 2nd most popular link on a career portal site to click is a video further explaining a job, said Vitale. The environment and green energy resonate with younger hires, she added, so a company should highlight its initiatives in these areas as well as any related jobs. Communicating with Millennials through their preferred methodology is also a major component. Skype, SMS, text, email, and social media are all prominent forms among Millennials.
2. Bring positions to their turf
Vitale said iCIMS recommends having something like a university career portal, which is a separate tool for jobs targeting Millennials. Her company has career site SEO and mobile career portals. Job postings can be easily accessed on search engines like Google as opposed to just promoting them on sites more seasoned workers use like Monster and Careerbuilder. When Millennials receive information about a job from iCIMS, Vitale said the individual is directed to a mobile site for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Mobility is huge when it comes to approaching potential candidates from this group and being able to access job posting anywhere and at anytime is key.
Using pictures to show the company culture and making note of its awards, especially “best places to work” recognitions is equally important, Vitale said. iCIMS currently does this because company reputation and recognition are important to Millennials. The company also highlights training programs, like management development, because it hires most of its talent fresh out of school. Vitale noted the significance of making it clear that there are growth opportunities within a company; Millennials typically value early-on career advancement. Hosting career fairs at colleges and universities where you give QR codes to learn more about your company is another way to reach Millennials at their level.
3. Be authentic
“It’s really a combination of what you’re saying and how you’re delivering it,” said Vitale. “They (Millennials) want to get the raw deal.” She said Millennials are not into advertising; they like authentic messages. So many from this group regularly access Yelp, Youtube, Pinterest and various other social media applications encountering raw and true information and ideas from people just like them. To effectively communicate with Millennials, recruiters must first ask themselves: Is the message authentic?
Vitale also stressed the importance of understanding where the interviewee is coming from, a concept she and others at iCIMS learned to grasp. Taking the time to understand a candidate’s background, how he or she is used to consuming information and what appeals to him or her will give recruiters the ability to craft more authentic messages.
A ton of information is out there attempting to provide the best solutions and practices for approaching Millennials. Like step three, Vitale and her company offer even more; yet these are first-hand suggestions.
“We are that employer looking for Millennials,” she said. “We’re going through all the challenges. We have been the guinea pigs. This is not a hard marketing push; we really do get it.”