“Remember, children are our future…and there’s nothing we can do about it.”
– Steve Rosenfield, Comedian
It’s a sellers’ market for fresh technology talent. There was a time that the lowest of lowest entry-level positions was all that would be offered. That’s changed. Now being aware that their skills are in high demand, and knowing they can connect with people in many ways beyond just phone and email, today’s crew of young tech workers are more empowered than previous generations.
These Millennials (a.k.a. Generation Y), defined as people born anywhere from 1980 to 1999, have access to technology, communications, and publishing that simply wasn’t available decades ago. As a result, they have demands for career and lifestyle that are often different than older generations.
“Employers that better understand what motivates and retains Millennials will be able to secure the top talent, keep them happy and productive and also make sure they are not snatched up by competitors,” said Razor Suleman, founder and chairman of Achievers, in a report by Forbes.
While salary is important to Millennials, it’s often not the primary motivation (source: “Class of 2012” study by Achievers and Experience, Inc).
“Once a salary meets their basic needs, Millennials still desire progression and growth, along with challenging and interesting work that piques their interest,” said Suleman.
To find out what it takes to draw in this highly sought-after community, we asked recruiters and anyone hiring young talent what they believe are the “must-adopt” recruiting techniques for hiring Millennials. Here are our favorite responses:
“Engage with Millennials on the platform they use the most: social networks. By creating and maintaining Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ company profiles, you open the door to new potential employees by giving them an opportunity to easily get to know your company, its products, and services. Also, it provides them a way to interact and network with your company’s employees,” said Kat Krull (@Resunate), Associate Marketing Manager at Resunate.