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5 New Ways to Recruit Millennials in 2016

The time has come for companies to focus on recruiting the best and brightest of the millennial generation. Today, millennials make up one-third of the American workforce, and some studies estimate the generation will make up close to 50 percent of the workforce by 2020. Having spent their formative years navigating economic instability and groundbreaking technological advancement, millennials’ job preferences are significantly different from Generation X and the baby boomers. If you want to recruit millennial talent, your business must understand both where to find and how to attract the cream of the crop.

1. Invest in a Culture Page on Your Company Website

Millennials are looking for culture, not the corporate world. Only 15 percent of 2015 college graduates would prefer to work for a large corporation, and many would take a lower paycheck if it meant working for a company with a positive social atmosphere. Millennials want to do work that will enrich their lives. To engage with this desire, create a page on your website dedicated to sharing your company’s culture, from holiday events to the various ways your business encourages employee growth and fulfillment.

2. Search on Rising Social Media Platforms

In order to recruit millennials, you have to know where to find them — on social media. Many companies have embraced social hiring, with 54 percent of recruiters using Facebook to find new talent. Develop a presence across multiple social media channels and then make an effort to share team successes, highlight your culture, and announce new job openings. Beyond the most obvious social platforms — Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter — venture into growing channels like Snapchat, where you can post creative snaps to connect with your desired talent pool in a more informal manner.

3. Make Your Job Application Mobile-Friendly

Mobile Internet usage is on the rise, and it is affecting job searches and application processes. On average, nearly 60 percent of candidates used a mobile device to search for a job, and 52 percent used them to apply for a position. Millennials are searching for jobs while on the go. To cater to this, go beyond making your website mobile-friendly and responsive — develop an online application process that is simple to access and easy to navigate on a mobile device.

4. Use More Video

Video and other engaging media can be very attractive to millennials. Tap into this by adding a video to your job description. It could feature your team, offer a tour of the office, or explain the job position through motion graphics. Additionally, as millennials prefer to work for companies that embrace technology, try incorporating video interviews into your hiring process. These efforts show that your company is technologically savvy and employee-focused.

5. Emphasize Growth

Some recruiters fear that millennials are job hoppers, and studies tend to agree with this assumption. This doesn’t have to be the case for your millennial employees, though. Millennials desire purpose in their life and career. They seek feedback, support, and opportunities for growth. To attract millennial talent and encourage them to stay with your company, emphasize chances for development via ongoing education opportunities or interdepartmental collaboration.

By actively recruiting millennials in 2016, you can build your workforce to include inspiring and creative young minds that embrace your company’s vision and commitment to growth.

About the Author: Alice Williams has an MA in Communication Studies from San Francisco State University, where she studied organizational communication and HR extensively. She is a contributor to BusinessBee and likes to go hiking with her husband in her spare time.

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