Guest PostMillennials and Generation Z are peculiar generations, at least by traditional recruiting and business standards. It seems that these generations are constantly breaking the norms, reshaping old narratives, and restructuring the world around them. And business leaders are struggling to match their pace. Why? Because there’s nothing quite like the cumbersome task of inspiring young talent to take an interest in your company, or to stay for more than a couple of years if you’re lucky. To achieve this, you not only need to write terrific job descriptions, but you need to optimize your entire recruiting strategy as well.
There are many techniques you can leverage to bring top talent into your company and incentivize them to become part of your brand’s family. Some of those methods include leveraging technology and visual media, restructuring your brand’s values, optimizing your perks and benefits, and taking a proactive approach to recruiting. Let’s talk about what it takes to drive talent acquisition when you’re targeting millennials and Gen Z.
Find talented where they hang out
The first step in optimizing your recruitment strategy is to rethink your approach to job posting, and your online and offline communication with potential employees. It’s important to understand the candidates and put yourself in their shoes to achieve this. Ask yourself, would you scour the internet in search of a great job opportunity, or would you rather a great job offer land on your “doorstep”? Naturally, the younger generations love nothing more than to find these career opportunities in their online and offline hangouts, so you better plan ahead.
First, research your target demographic. Instead of optimizing for customers, plug in the metrics for employees. Where do your top potential employees like to hang out? Find out where they are, online or offline, and then adapt your approach to fit their narrative, lifestyle, and routine. This will make them more receptive to what you have to say, and they might even get in touch. Remember, while you’re waiting for someone to click on your generic job ad on Facebook, your forward-looking competitors are finding talented individuals on their home turf.
Use visual media to optimize your messaging
Modern generations are born into the world digital. It’s what makes them “digital natives” and shapes their mindsets, their core beliefs, and the way they interact with the rest of the world. So why are you still posting written job descriptions, and communicating with candidates over email when you can create a more personal experience with video?
Nowadays, young talent is looking to engage with a company that speaks to their tech-savvy upbringing, and is able to cater to their needs. Think vibrant presentations, seamless and captivating animations, live video interviews, video job descriptions, infographic job descriptions, and combining numerous visual elements to nail your recruitment messaging and speak directly to the hearts and minds of your employee demographic.
Emphasize the modern perks you’re offering
Speaking of technology, it’s one of those essential perks that your company needs to offer to young talent if you are to spark their interest and make your offer more appealing. Candidates need to know that you’re innovative and forward-looking and be confident that you’re flexible . Set yourself apart from other employers by using technology to create a better candidate experience and promote your unique company culture.
Nowadays, employees want the flexibility of working in thriving coworking spaces like Altitude cowork, that provide all of the perks and amenities they need to do a stellar job, network with other talent, and enjoy a positive work environment tailored for the 21st century employee. Instead of trying to attract young talent with a traditional office environment or the old ways of during business (you are on the cloud, right?) be sure to emphasize all of the modern perks that spark a modern employee’s interest.
Focus on current opportunities, not future potential
Speaking of perks and benefits, keep in mind that younger generations of workers have greatly shifted the narrative from future career potential to current career opportunities. What matters most to the millennial and Gen Z talent is what you’re offering right now. Rest assured, you still have to have comprehensive career advancement strategies, as this is a valuable perk that tells employees that you care, but you should also focus on delivering immediate value.
If you want to attract top talent and even bring overqualified individuals into your ranks, you need to show them what you have in store for them in the next year, two, or three. You can talk about their five-year plan down the road, but for now, focus on the present – this way, you won’t scare the candidate off, and you will have sparked their interest.
Inspire them to join your brand family
Finally, always remember that the modern employee is looking for something more than to just work for a company. To be an employee means little to the younger generations, but to be a part of a thriving brand culture is a whole other matter, and a high-value proposition they won’t be able to refuse. Be sure to align your brand’s values with the values of your employee demographic, stand up for the same causes and initiatives, and invite them to join the fight and become a part of brand that strives to make a difference.
Wrapping up
Talent acquisition is more difficult than it has ever been, and it’s all thanks to the millennials and Gen Z-ers who dare to reinvent the wheel. While you can’t change them, you can certainly evolve your business and your recruitment processes to appeal to these dominant demographics, so be sure to implement these tactics in order to drive your talent acquisition strategy forward.
About the Author
Jacob Wilson is a business consultant, and an organizational psychologist, based in Brisbane. Passionate about marketing, social networks, and business in general. In his spare time, he writes a lot about new business strategies and digital marketing for Bizzmark blog.
Josh Tolan
Spark Hire
