Surviving a global pandemic has forever changed the way we communicate with our workforce, the way we do business, and the expectations of workers on the job.
Many call it the Great Resignation, but why?
Millennials have been described as the first global generation and the first generation that grew up in the Internet Age. They have seen significant economic disruption since starting their working lives, they have faced high levels of unemployment during their early years in the labor market in the wake of the Great Recession and suffered another recession a decade later. They are also the ones that most recently enjoyed the half-time show of Super Bowl LVI. For the first time feeling like the blend of hip hop & rap was relatable only to realized they found themselves saying after, now I understand why my parents enjoyed all the half time shows when I was growing up.
To them, realizing their relatability means maturity and surviving a second recession at such a young age called for even more diversification. For a group that values meaningful motivation, creative work, sharing their gifts and making an impact on others and within their communities, millennials can be seen taking these intrinsic approaches to their careers.
So how can employers capitalize on this mindset?
- Continue to remove barriers by streamlining processes. Stop saying, “That’s the way we’ve always done it.”
- Don’t be slow to change?
- If you cannot provide the highest pay rate, give something else they want.
How can employers communicate this information in an interview?
If it isn’t done effectively employers will continue to lose qualified candidates to the next business down the street. The global pandemic not only changed everyday business, but it created a high demand for workers and a small applicant pool. Millennials are ready to capitalize on it!
So back to it…
How to communicate it in an interview?
Do not take their direct answers as them being a narcissist; instead, just return the favor.
Answers have always been readily available and therefore they believe responses must be quick and direct and then it is time to move on.
Focus on flexibility
They are not always motivated by money. If you cannot give them money, give them flexibility. Can they report to work after school or childcare drop off? Maybe, drop off is not the problem, maybe it is pickup. Can they start early so they can leave early for pickup?
Explain the company culture and why they will want to work for you.
Tell them Warehousing & Logistics companies have opportunity for growth, a variety of work, and booming industry that will always have a high demand in our economy.
Use behavioral interview questions – find out how they would act in a situation.
Drilling millennials with questions may feel like beating your head up against a wall. Instead asking what they would do in a situation tells, more about them as an employee and worker than any pre-scripted answer to standard interview questions ever could.
Make the recruiting process easy!
They are looking for a job right now! They do not have time to waste. Have a streamlined process for communication. There was a time when if you contacted job seekers within 24 hours you were doing well. Now, if you contact in more than 24 minutes you might be too late.
Present advancement opportunities and create a desire for retention.
Know what is important to them. millennials want to make an impact. Sometimes they are too quick to give up and want to quit b/c they do not feel their impact. Remind them that impact is at the top of the mountain, but there is still a mountain to climb.
Bottom Line
As a business owner you may be reading this and thinking I do not have time to caudle and cater to this mindset, I have a business to run. Yes, you have a business to run but this is the mindset of the workers running the day-to-day operations for you. Make it work for you – it is too expensive not to.
How can you do that? You do not have the capacity to oversee the hiring process – The role of staffing consultants at :hire is to meet workers where they are, give them the guidance they need, and get them to work for you in your facilities. Our consultants spend their days evaluating candidates, so you do not have to and in doing so, know which candidate best suits the skillset of the job AND the company culture. :hire = fast, friendly service + the best jobs.
In an ever-shrinking work-force population, getting qualified candidates to the table, committed and on the job, is more crucial than ever before. Companies do not have time or resources to devote to this process and now they do not have to. :hire is here for you. Let our people be your solution.