Millennials are perceived as lazy, but they actually provide TONS of value, they will bring your company up to speed on technology, they value respect, and they are open to new opportunities within a company — however, you'd never know what that value is if you don't ask the right questions. You're currently hiring Millennials based on their resumes, which given how young they are, probably don't have that much substance. We are moving past the era of pieces of paper to define a person's work experience, you may want to start using a candidates personality and character as useful information to help inform your hiring decisions.
Instead of worrying about how Millennials don't belong in your workforce, see how they can benefit the company as a whole. These younger minds are eventually going to become leaders and key decision-makers in your business. Now is the time you turn your company into the place for them to thrive. Here are some tips and tricks to get the most out of your Millennial workforce:
Millennials are constantly communicating. They brunch, they Instagram and they are always sharing stories. 87% of Millennials own 2+ tech devices, which are all used to stay in constant contact. If a Millennial enjoys working for your company, they are going to talk about it, and just the same if they hate working for your company. Keep up the positive atmosphere by communicating often, don't strictly rely on an annual performance review because it won't be enough. Ask how they are doing, discuss any potential problems, and give them feedback. They will appreciate the conversation and you will earn trust from the openness.
Millennials value meaningful conversation, and their opinions matter greatly, therefore they share their thoughts whenever they can. 42% of Millennials want to be involved in the creation of new products and change in old policies. When the option to try something new or asked for their opinion on a topic, you will likely get an earful one way or another. A Millennial will feel more comfortable in just about any environment when they are confident they can safely be open and honest.
Millennials are big on culture and they want to find a job where they are a fit from the start; however, they will settle into a new job when they know there are opportunities to change and adapt. While the rest of the workforce is catching up to open workspaces and flexible working, Millennials know exactly what they would like to see in an office. This benefits your company because it will create dialogue around changes that can be made to become "millennial-friendly" instead of polling the same employees year after year based on previous practices.
In fact, a recent study conducted by Traitify on a representative sample of the US population found that Millennials score higher on the Big Five dimension of openness to new experiences than earlier generations. This means that as a whole they are more open to new experiences and to interactions with people from many different stations in life. They have an intellectual curiosity and a thirst for finding creative and novel solutions to problems. These traits can be very helpful for companies striving to get ahead in competitive market places.
Your company needs Millennials who are going to tell you like it is, challenge you when needed, and encourage more openness. If this post wasn't enough to prove it, it may be time to let a personality assessment do the talking. If you are hoping to find the right millennials for your company, we're now offering a free trial of our personality assessment! Traitify wants to give you insight to data about why millennials are more open than other generations, and share the wealth of knowledge that comes with knowing the personality of potential hires.
