3 Ways Millennials Can Bring Talent To the Workforce
In this post, we’ll discuss three ways talent can be brought to organizations from this generation and how it might change the workplace dynamic:
1. Beyond Social Media Specialists
One interesting facet about the generation is that they have more or less grown up with social media, and have become the “digital natives” with multiple technology platforms, which does conveniently align with some organizational responsibilities that are called for in job applications.
This presents an interesting situation for a new hire who is adept at social media marketing, but also has other skills that TA might have failed to see during the recruiting process or that the candidate themself is not comfortable sharing. So many roles today, whether in Sales, Marketing, Communications, and Business, revolve around sharing some social media postings and responsibilities, but TA and other organizational leaders should not become comfortable only delegating these tasks to employees and young professionals.
This is because millennials especially might feel under-utilized in roles if they have signed onto positions where an activity like grant writing, or meeting with clients, or doing something that builds other skillsets, is not actually followed through on because managers prefer the new hire in social media capacities. This might hinder talent at the organizational level, not foster it.
Talent can be brought to organizations if millennials, along with their managerial counterparts both invest in learning tasks that are outside of social media marketing.
2. A desire for impact
Although it may not always be possible for millennials to create an impact, this generation has listened and become fervent supporters of environmental movements, human rights campaigns, and corporate social responsibility. The generation has an angst to be entrepreneurs, although Forbes in one covering did discover that very few millennials, after responding to a survey, actually went on to start their own business.
But this information is telling in that organizations wanting to hire talent for social causes now have a much bigger applicant pool of qualified graduates who want these jobs than they did 10 years ago. After doing a brief LinkedIn search, I found that mission aligned organizations received hundreds of job applications just for entry level positions, while other organizations, still vital to the economy but not as attractive socially, received only 20-30 direct applications on average.
Recruiters can play a part in seeking out the best candidates from this age range by really testing their entrepreneurial spirit in phone screenings. And millennials can bring talent to organizations in terms of social cause by being able to digest the current political and economic moments they are growing up in and reporting on them.
3. Branding
Branding yourself and your capabilities on LinkedIn or your resume has become a trademark in todays digital job market. Recruiters almost always go to your LinkedIn, check it privately, and then revert back to you resume to see if you are being consistent or not. Having a strong brand is something that millennials have developed a skill for, sometimes for better or worse. It is up to recruiters and TA teams to find out if candidates are exaggerating on their professional profiles or if they have really backed up their skillsets.
Fortunately, this branding skillset has also landed some millennials into jobs where they engage in similar tactics, and this is definitely a strong suit for a generation that has seen how industries have changed their image over the course of a decade.
Some examples include Geico, Coca-Cola, Nike, Under-Armor, as well as countless food franchises. While branding may not always have a CSR component, it is an important aspect of every organization that needs to use the right language at the right time for their audience members. Millennials have grown up in one of the most brand-obsessed and globalized decade, and some of that exposure has translated into a skillset for branding in and of itself.
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In this post, we’ll discuss three ways talent can be brought to organizations from this generation and how it might change the workplace dynamic:
1. Beyond Social Media Specialists
One interesting facet about the generation is that they have more or less grown up with social media, and have become the “digital natives” with multiple technology platforms, which does conveniently align with some organizational responsibilities that are called for in job applications.
This presents an interesting situation for a new hire who is adept at social media marketing, but also has other skills that TA might have failed to see during the recruiting process or that the candidate themself is not comfortable sharing. So many roles today, whether in Sales, Marketing, Communications, and Business, revolve around sharing some social media postings and responsibilities, but TA and other organizational leaders should not become comfortable only delegating these tasks to employees and young professionals.
This is because millennials especially might feel under-utilized in roles if they have signed onto positions where an activity like grant writing, or meeting with clients, or doing something that builds other skillsets, is not actually followed through on because managers prefer the new hire in social media capacities. This might hinder talent at the organizational level, not foster it.
Talent can be brought to organizations if millennials, along with their managerial counterparts both invest in learning tasks that are outside of social media marketing.
2. A desire for impact
Although it may not always be possible for millennials to create an impact, this generation has listened and become fervent supporters of environmental movements, human rights campaigns, and corporate social responsibility. The generation has an angst to be entrepreneurs, although Forbes in one covering did discover that very few millennials, after responding to a survey, actually went on to start their own business.
But this information is telling in that organizations wanting to hire talent for social causes now have a much bigger applicant pool of qualified graduates who want these jobs than they did 10 years ago. After doing a brief LinkedIn search, I found that mission aligned organizations received hundreds of job applications just for entry level positions, while other organizations, still vital to the economy but not as attractive socially, received only 20-30 direct applications on average.
Recruiters can play a part in seeking out the best candidates from this age range by really testing their entrepreneurial spirit in phone screenings. And millennials can bring talent to organizations in terms of social cause by being able to digest the current political and economic moments they are growing up in and reporting on them.
3. Branding
Branding yourself and your capabilities on LinkedIn or your resume has become a trademark in todays digital job market. Recruiters almost always go to your LinkedIn, check it privately, and then revert back to you resume to see if you are being consistent or not. Having a strong brand is something that millennials have developed a skill for, sometimes for better or worse. It is up to recruiters and TA teams to find out if candidates are exaggerating on their professional profiles or if they have really backed up their skillsets.
Fortunately, this branding skillset has also landed some millennials into jobs where they engage in similar tactics, and this is definitely a strong suit for a generation that has seen how industries have changed their image over the course of a decade.
Some examples include Geico, Coca-Cola, Nike, Under-Armor, as well as countless food franchises. While branding may not always have a CSR component, it is an important aspect of every organization that needs to use the right language at the right time for their audience members. Millennials have grown up in one of the most brand-obsessed and globalized decade, and some of that exposure has translated into a skillset for branding in and of itself.