3 Initiatives to Attract Young Talent (That You Can Implement Right Now)

We all have to admit that the generation of talent entering the workforce legitimately confuses us at times. Up-and-coming talent consistently eludes us because, quite frankly, it gets harder and harder to understand their needs and relate to their experiences. Now though, as the economy and employment rate continue to steadily climb, hiring young talent could be the key to safely keeping your business afloat (and even growing).

With less overhead, more tech savvy, and unique perspectives on our current world, candidates in the beginning stages of their careers will push your boundaries and drive growth without the added salary and expense that may accompany their highly experienced counterparts.

Not to mention, very few established professionals feel comfortable leaving their roles at the moment — given all of the uncertainty in our day-to-day lives. The last thing that many pros want to do is make a major career change right now and beyond that, 89% of professionals believe a multi-generational workforce is what can make a company even more successful.

The best part? You’ve probably already started all 3 of these initiatives in some capacity. Here’s how to fine tune them to more effectively attract young talent:

1. Upgrade Tech to Meet 2020 Expectations

Due to the pandemic, tech has never been so ingrained (or essential) in our daily lives. It’s taken an adjustment period for most of us, but younger candidates have hardly even been phased. I mean, they were kind of raised for this current situation. The education system has been emphasizing the importance of technological literacy for years, equipping students with typing, data, and analysis skills. Today, 85% of K-12 students do their homework on a computer or tablet.

For young talent, using (and learning) tech is the norm so, when on the job hunt, they’re looking for opportunities that align with that. 75% of young employees believe that access to tech makes them more effective at work. Even outside of competing for talent, companies are getting the message that it’s time to upgrade — 44% plan to increase tech spend this year, up from 38% in 2019. Tech like the cloud, robotic process automation, block chain, and interviewing software are transforming the industry (as well as it’s reputation for being boring).

2. Strengthen Your Remote Work Strategy

In the same vein, remote work is here to stay for most, meaning that to beat out competition hiring young talent, you have to offer an attractive remote work set-up. There are a few different ways to boost your current strategy, like:

• Establishing structure & a sense of normalcy. While flexibility is a major perk of remote working, there has to be a set structure in place for employees to ground themselves and their day-to-day schedule in. Set routines for your team members that are logical and easy to follow. Increase communication, encourage transparency, and ask questions — 4 out of 5 employees believe that effective internal communication improves their job performance.
• Providing the tools necessary for success. As previously mentioned, technology is critical for workers to do their jobs. Pinpoint where breaks in communication or work flow are happening and collaborate with your employees to develop viable solutions.Maybe it’s as simple as implementing different communication platform, like Skype or Slack. On the other hand, if the problem runs deeper, you might need to overhaul your tech stack as a whole. Either way, investing in your employees’ performance will increase productivity and boost employee retention (which directly translates to better candidate engagement).
• Building an effective culture. Onboarding employees remotely can feel unnatural for everyone involved. It’s honestly just hard to feel comfortable and get used to a new role (or team member) when you’re in completely unfamiliar territory. Be intentional about the cultural initiatives that you’re putting into place to ease that stress for your workers — we put together these tips for developing a dynamic WFH company culture.

3. Emphasize Your Values & Mission

As most of us are, young pros are also driven by purpose and meaning. 84% of millennials say that making a difference is more important than professional recognition and 92% believe businesses should be measured by more than just their profits. They need to feel as though their career (and company) are having a positive impact on the world at large, no matter how.

On the surface, that seems relatively vague, but any business leader can create initiatives that give back on a micro- or macro-scale. Your values and mission should reflect your company’s purpose so that candidates can align their own beliefs. For example, at interviewstream, we have a “people first” mentality. This trickles from our clients to our users to our team members — people and their needs always come first, internally and externally. By instilling a mission for your organization, candidates and employees have a broader (and more aspirational) goal to work towards with you.

Attracting and hiring young talent is likely going to take an investment of time and money, but you’ll get 10x what you put in in return. The investment isn’t just in developing a few initiatives, it’s in your future success. With the structure, mission, and people in place for growth, you’re bound to elevate your business to new heights. And, as a bonus, you can start hiring the right talent to get you to where you want to be right now with interviewstream (#shamelessplug).

About The Author

Monique Mahler is the CEO of interviewstream. She is an avid researcher of facts, a self proclaimed marketing geek, and an equestrian in her spare time.