Why You Need To Hire Millennials

Are you thinking about millennials when you’re recruiting?

I think it’s safe to say that the challenge of recruiting and retaining top talent is an initiative for every thriving business. But are you looking for that talent in the right place?

Enter - “How To Hire Millennials”.

These technologically-savvy consumers have gotten a bad rap for quite some time and their reputation is constantly getting tainted with individuals calling them “lazy, self-absorbed, narcissist who still live with their parents, spoiled, iPhone addicts”......you get the point.

On the surface, that could appear to be true, however for a group whose pace and multi-management of social media interactions is like watching a cartoon chase, they may just be the missing ingredient to your workplace culture. These twenty-somethings bring new perspectives and habits that add value to their employers, and shouldn’t be ignored. If your business wishes to meet the needs of millennials and adopt the modern tactics and methodologies necessary to be effective in today’s competitive marketplace, bringing on a millennial will be your golden ticket.  

Here are 4 simple reasons why you should hire millennials:

1. Gaining information and knowledge in real-time through technology: This is a population who has never known life without technology! Millennials may always be on their phone, but do you blame them? That device gives them access at their fingertips from the time,  to their meetings, what’s on their calendar - while at the same time, allows them to take notes that automatically sync to their work computer. Millennials also have a much higher tolerance than older generations for focusing on tasks when surrounded by various technological distractions. Because they were raised with constant media input, millennials can subconsciously ignore the chatter most would find overwhelming.
   
   
2. They’re intrinsically motivated: Necessity is not what drives these individuals to score a job. In fact, 65% of them say that personal development is the most important factor in their careers. They want to expand their knowledge and grow in a career that compliments their skills. And while they often have a bad reputation for being lazy, their motivation comes from different circumstances than generations before them and because of the constant access to the informational-age and technology, they can often perform tasks much quicker than their counterparts. This is also why the normal 9am-5pm positions do not interest them. They can work from anywhere at any time and accomplish more in 8 hours.
   
   
3. They’re the best at social media: Checking Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest - you name it, is a part of a millennial’s daily morning routine! They have grown up with it and they understand it better than any generation ever has. They also understand the potential it has to spread brand awareness and information, and how to correctly reach the right target market. After all, social media is their life (more like their life-blood and innate addiction!), and one click of a button easily connects them with not only their peers, but more importantly your customer and prospects.  
   
   
4. They are highly educated & constantly learning: According to a White House Report in October of 2014, millennials are the most highly-educated generation. Going back to technology, they never had to wisp through pages of an encyclopedia to find information, the Internet has been with them since day one and it feeds their curiosity. As a result, they are constantly searching the web and reading up on topics they may not be familiar with.  

So, are you convinced yet? Let us continue to help. Here are 2 important things you must do when hiring millennials:

• Be brutally honest in the interview. Lay it all out on the table and don’t sugarcoat anything. This will ensure you’re hiring a millennial that will integrate  well with your existing team and culture, while also eliminate any possibility for surprises or misconceptions about the role any surprises.

• Don’t measure the quality of answers across all interviewees. Discovering the best person to hire means acknowledging millennials may not have the most extensive work experience. And they realize that. That doesn’t mean you can’t discover great potential and a great corporate fit. Dig deep, you may find other qualities in a person that you weren’t even looking for, but that your business desperately needs. Just because you don’t understand something, doesn’t mean your company shouldn’t adopt it.

Younger generations will always find ways to confuse and often annoy older, “wiser” generations who look down on them from the perch of many more years of experience. But these social media mavens may just be the missing piece to your puzzle.

#Action Item Tip: Stop wasting your time and money posting jobs on Craigslist, CareerBuilder, etc. and start using “inbound”. What do we mean? Post jobs where your ideal “millennial” candidate is hanging out. Sponsoring tweets, LinkedIn updates and Facebook posts that include the job posting will attract the right candidates. If people are finding your job posting on Craigslist, unfortunately, that may mean they aren’t up-to-speed with the “social media” technology you are looking for.

Want to learn more about how your company can adapt to inbound marketing? Talk to one of our inbound marketing specialists! We are always open to answering questions and providing guidance to help you succeed!