6 Things you Need to Know when Attracting Millennials

by Aimee Kelly, Accountancy & Finance Manager at Executive Connections

Do you have plans to hire in the near future? It’s becoming more and more likely that one of your next hires will be a ‘Millennial’. Born between the early 1980s up to 2000, Millennials or Generation Y’s role in the workplace is a hot topic at the moment as they continue to make up a significant and growing proportion of the working population. According to Time, by 2025, 3 out of every 4 workers globally will be Millennials.

The millennial generation has grown up with modern technology at their fingertips. They adapt quickly, are extremely connected and thrive in highly technical environments. However in recent years there has been mixed opinions on the value millennials can bring to the workplace.
Having been described as lazy, sometimes narcissistic and possessing an overriding sense of entitlement their introduction in to the workplace was not always greeted with kindness. While their generation behaves differently and is changing the workplace as we know it, we believe there are distinct positives when it comes to hiring millennials.

Possessing an abundance of skills, which if nurtured correctly, your organisation can become a more innovative and productive place with their input. In fact companies are adapting already in order to attract Millennials who they perceive to be flexible, ambitious and who use technology with ease. Even more so when the talent has been attracted, the drive to engage and retain employees becomes the next challenge.
From interacting with this generation on a regular basis over the last couple of years helping them achieve their career goals, I have gained a number of insights as to their personalities, how they view the workplace and their expectations from it.

What can they bring to your organisation?
1. They are Tech Savvy. This generation has grown up with modern technology at their fingertips.  They adapt quickly and thrive in highly technical environments.  At any instant they are connecting with others via social media. Whether it is Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat or E-mail they are constantly connected, well versed in the latest trends, and are always ready to immerse themselves in the next big thing.

2. They are Self-Motivated, with a strong desire to progress in their career and prove themselves. They love learning new things and are ambitious when making career choices and planning their career route. Their career oriented nature is a driving force and they always want to progress to the next level.

3. Their Innovative nature is one which will have a major positive effect on your organisation. Constant improvement is a must for Millennials and they are always looking for ways to do things more efficiently. Asking “how we can do better?” and developing new ways to overcome problems and obstacles are beneficial to any business and this is where millennials excel.

4. Millennials Value Feedback and when compared with other generations they thrive on it. Communication is key and frequent one to one meetings and reviews with their manager to have a constant measure of their performance is central to their expectations. Whether feedback provided is encouraging or constructive it can be beneficial to your organisation as their desire to develop is overwhelming.

5. The Bigger Picture is important. A strong and worthwhile company culture, transparency and feeling valued are vital to Millennials. A clear organisational structure where input is welcomed at all levels and they are sure of the goals that need to be achieved. They are very strong team players particularly when the overall end result is common and work well with others when focused on the end result.
They are not as private as other generations in relation to sharing information which is a positive in the workplace as they work well in collaborative environments and thrive in sharing information with colleagues and being seen as an expert in this area. This desired quality should be nurtured and used to full advantage within teams to increase knowledge for all members.

6. Their ability to Adapt to Change far exceeds the generations that precede them. Market demands, new technology, new team members and changes to organisational structure are of much smaller significance to millennials than older employees and they are able to deal with them at ease in comparison.

What can you do to attract them?
The ability to identify these skills and in turn attract millennials to your organisation will be of great benefit when hiring staff from this generation. Many identify the need to speak to millennials in a particular way as a key inclusion when developing an attraction strategy.

Can you provide the following to your employees?

• Autonomous working environment
• A sense of purpose
• Collaborative work environment
• Problem Solving
• Freedom to make choice and have impact.
• Clear opportunity for progression
• Sense of involvement
• Responsibility
• Leadership
• Technology that enhances work
• Flexible work schedules
• Work/life balance
• Career advice from managers
• Mentors over managers

When defining roles, developing teams, speaking to potential employees as well as advertising on relevant platforms use language and content that appeals directly to them needs to be taken in to consideration in order to spark an interest. Potential employees will glean a lot of information from your recruitment strategy so be sure you are using it to your optimum to introduce the best talent to your organisation – Millennial or otherwise!