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Final Four: How to Recruit Millennials in Your Workforce (and Retain Them!)

September 30th, 2016 by Veronica Blatt

Today’s guest blogger is Alana Davis of MAU Workforce Solutions, specializing in staffing, recruiting and outsourcing solutions for employers across the US and around the world through global recruiting partners.

Google Millennials in the Workplace or any other search involving millennials and employment, and there will be no shortage of articles, studies, and other content offering insight and data on how this generation operates in today’s workforce. Fortunately, the older Millennial group has now been in the workforce for five plus years.

Whether you have figured out the magic formula to working with Gen Y in your organization, or are still trying to grasp social media (what’s Snapchat??) and understand how emojis work, as more Millennials join the workforce in the coming years, there are a few key items to consider.

Here are the final four tips to make part of your recruiting and retention strategy.

1. “Meet” them where they are. Since the birth of Facebook, Millennials have been glued to social media. And now, with Instagram, Snapchat, and even Facebook Live, social media is where we spend our time! As an employer, having a presence on social media is crucial. Job seekers not only look to a company’s social media presence to gauge a company’s culture, but they may also use it as a form of communication, such as Facebook posts and messaging, or making comments to an Instagram picture. And you want to be right there, ready to engage! A company may even want to dedicate someone that responds to these forms of communication so not to lose the opportunity to engage potential quality employees!

2. Make the initial application simple. This cannot be emphasized enough! In a recent post, we discussed how our attention span has significantly decreased and is now shorter than that of a goldfish. And this is true for more than just the Millennial generation. As consumers, we have accessibility to quick fixes, solutions, and service. The job seeker wants the same thing, especially when initially applying or showing interest in a position. Try to make the initial application simple by having a short form for the job seeker to fill out with maybe an option to attach his/her resume. Since we know most people apply on mobile devices, the simpler the process is, the more applicants’ attention you’ll keep to finish the initial app.

3. Culture, Culture, Culture! When Millennials are looking for a new opportunity, one of their top priorities is making sure that they will fit in with the company culture. They want to know that they will be able to believe in what they do. This is key both in the recruiting and retention strategy. Use the job description as a way to give snippets of your culture by including the organization’s mission and values. Also, use social media to share the company’s culture with both prospective and current employees. Post pictures of company and community events, office gatherings, or holiday celebrations. This will help the job seeker understand what the work environment might be like, while also reinforcing the culture to current employees.

4. Embrace flexibility. In a recent article from the Charleston Regional Business Journal, Peggy Frazier, global talent acquisition manager of Blackbaud said she is working to recruit millennials who want more balance between work and their life outside of it. Because of technology, remote work and working beyond the regular 9-5 hours is possible. More and more job seekers are looking for flexible work and as the job market tightens, employers that embrace the trend will benefit in the long run. Consider evaluating positions in your organization that could be done remotely or with flexible hours. For example, at MAU, many of our professional recruiters work remotely and/or part time, so they can be with their families more. Embracing this type of work not only has been successful from a business perspective but has improved the employee’s job satisfaction!

Hopefully you’re getting a handle on this multi-generational workforce we are all navigating in today’s world. As we continue on this journey, and work to continuously improve our recruiting and retention strategies, consider these final four tips.

Successful Recruiting is Like Golf

June 30th, 2016 by Veronica Blatt

Today’s guest blogger is John Gilbert from Options Consulting Group. Based in Melbourne, Australia, Options Consulting Group has been supporting industry since 1990. The firm’s business partner/trusted advisor engagement style is complimented by expertise and success in executive, professional and technical recruitment for permanent, interim management and contract roles. John’s thoughts on why successful recruiting is like golf can be found here:

Recruiters use LinkedIn. This isn’t a trade secret. We use it to interact with clients, candidates and to develop possible connections. It’s used to keep up to date with news and as a platform to publish work. However at OCG, we have numerous other tools at our disposal.

John Gilbert – OCG Owner/Principal explains it this way – when playing golf, you don’t use the same golf club every time you hit the ball. You’ll need drivers, putters, woods and irons on every hole to complete the game in the best possible style.

This is the same for small and medium businesses when recruiting. Realistically, you can’t expect to find the best-suited candidate to fill your vacant position by limiting yourself to searching LinkedIn and Seek. You’ll need various methods to identify and source suitable candidates, which is where a recruiter acting as your trusted advisor/business partner becomes even more important. And we’re yet to touch on interviewing skills, effective applications management and potential negative impact on your employment brand!

Taking Options Consulting Group as an example, we have access to well-developed networks via NPAworldwide, extensive databases and access to selected and relevant job boards – and over 80 years of experience between us. This helps our clients to connect with the best person for the job.

Is this your experience when going alone?

Time

Small and Medium Enterprises (SME’s) have limited time to dedicate to finding the perfect applicant. It may seem easier because you don’t have to explain your business and position to a third party, however, SME’s filling their own staff vacancies are required to complete their own filtering process. This can be time-consuming as you will be setting up meetings, reading CV’s, interviewing and assessing multiple and potentially unsuitable applicants.

Experience

Recruiters know what works and what doesn’t. They’ve experienced bogus qualifications, probed on reference checks and know the signs to look for. Experienced recruiters don’t shy away from salary negotiations and have clients’ and candidates’ best intentions in mind. These are some of the key elements when hiring that cannot be overlooked. Being blindsided isn’t an experience anyone wants to have; recruiters know how to handle these situations.

Resources

There are multiple resources that your recruiter will have access to. These include personal contacts in relevant industries, paid subscriptions to specialist forums and personal databases that have been added to over the years. OCG has proven processes, quality assurance, and a 12-month candidate care program, ensuring peace of mind.

Confidence

This is an important element of a successful recruiter. Conducting the recruitment process for the first time can be daunting and filling your own staff and leadership vacancies is no exception.

Feeling like the right questions aren’t being asked in the interview may undermine a candidate’s confidence in the role, the company and runs the risk of alienating the candidate from the opportunity.

When choosing to outsource your recruitment needs, ensure you are working with a company that understands your business environment, processes and competencies for the role – a business partner and trusted advisor who wants to solve your problems rather than sell you a person!

Using the right golf club for each round allows you to strategise your best play. If you would do it on the golf course, do it for your business too!