4 tips to hire for the needs of millennials

In 2016, millennials—which is the term used to describe the group of people born between 1981 and 1996—became the largest generation in the workforce at 35% according to Pew Research. Generation Xers (people born between 1965 and 1980) made up the next biggest group at 33%, followed by baby boomers (people born between 1946 and 1964) at 25%.

This data suggests that, if you have an open position, the greatest number of applicants are likely to be millennials. How do you attract the top talent in this age range? You hire for their specific needs. Here are four ways to do it.

1. Highlight job benefits

A survey conducted by retirement plan provider Pentegra found that 96.77% of millennial job seekers consider the benefits offered by the company when deciding whether to apply for a particular position. The most important benefit for consideration was access to a 401k. Health insurance and pension plans were next.

When creating your job post, taking the time to highlight the benefits that come with the role may make your ad more appealing to millennial applicants. Other benefits to potentially include are those related to vacations, such as how much time off they can expect per year if hired for the job.

2. Explain the company’s purpose

One factor that sets millennials apart from some of the other generational groups is that their work needs to have meaning. In its How Millennials Want to Work and Live report, Gallup explains that people in this group prefer to work for a company with a mission and a purpose, not just the one that pays the highest wage.

What is your business’s mission? What is its purpose? Answering these questions clearly in the job post can help millennial applicants understand whether their values align with the company’s values and mission. It also helps them view the company as more than just an inanimate building with four walls but, rather, to see it as a group of people who are all working together for a dedicated purpose.

3. Develop a social media presence

A LinkedIn survey of more than 13,300 millennials noted that this generation was the most likely to use social media as a way to learn more about a company before deciding whether to submit an application. That makes developing a presence on these types of platforms helpful for providing the information they desire.

This survey also revealed that the top piece of information they desire in their social media search is the company’s culture and values. The next is the benefits the company provides for its employees. Include this data in your page’s “about” section so they don’t have to dig for it.

4. Place less focus on longevity

In an ideal world, good employees would hire in and stay with the same company from their first day of work until their last. However, that’s not the reality as Bureau of Labor Statistics data indicates that the median length of employment for workers in the U.S. is currently 4.2 years. For millennials, it's even less with the average length of stay at 2.8 years.

This suggests that recruiting methods that talk about longevity that exceeds these amounts are unlikely to create appeal for millennial workers. Instead, place more focus on the here and now. Tell applicants why they should work for you today, not five, ten or twenty years down the road.

When you meet millennial’s needs in the hiring process, your job openings have more appeal to the largest portion of applicants. These tips can help you do just that.

If you are looking for more hiring tips and tricks, check out our recruitment content library here or download our free recruitment guide with creative new ideas for finding the best people for the job.

About the Author

Christina M. DeBusk creates small business content for a variety of publications, some of which include Businessing Magazine, Compendent, Chiropractic Economics, and more. She is also the author behind the column, "The Successful Solopreneur.

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