In decades of running business I've recruited hundreds of people (possibly thousands, I've long since stopped counting) many of whom have gone on to run their own firms or hold senior positions in major technology companies. I'm lucky enough to still be mentoring many of them, and these days, never a conversation goes by without the complaint that they can't find enough of the right people and that there is 'something wrong' with the current generation entering the workforce.
In 2014, the group with which there is currently 'something wrong' is Generation Y (those born between the mid-eighties and mid-nineties, that is). By 2025 this group will make up 70 per cent of the global workforce, so the need to focus on the recruitment of Generation Y is a no-brainer. The global skills shortage and increasing war for talent in sectors such as technology shows no signs of abating, and it will be a constraining factor on the growth of your business, should you let it. To put this in perspective, in its recent report The World at Work: Jobs, Pay and Skills for 3.5 billion People, McKinsey estimated that there could be a 40 million person shortage in the supply of highly skilled, university-educated workers worldwide by 2020. This means that firms have to fight hard to attract and retain the best of those that are available.
When it comes to hiring the best of Generation Y, companies are typically struggling. Generation X leaders (the group born after that of the Baby Boomers - roughly from the early 1960s to mid-1970s and the name of a punk band that ironically supplied me with the title of this piece) often find it hard to figure out the best ways to recruit, manage and retain Generation Y. This is because many simply don't understand what's going on in their heads and why they behave in the way that they do. Generation Y typically grew up as 'digital natives', never knowing anything else than having high levels of connectivity, mobility and attention span sapping interactive stimulation: TV, smartphones, video games, the Internet and social media and expect this to be replicated in the workplace. Very casual dressing, BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), hot desking offices that look like their bedrooms, flexible and home working and a selection of other benefits such as in-office showers, Ride-to-Work schemes and Pizza Fridays are all expected. This may also come with a sense of self-centred entitlement that can be breath taking to Baby Boomers and Generation X alike.
Unsurprisingly, today's predominantly Generation X-managed recruitment communication and channels are rarely aligned with the attitudes, interests and media preferences of this target audience. So, to catch a thief you need to think like a thief and this creates the need for new strategies for recruitment, which are interactive, highly responsive, experience-based and focused on building relationships. One of the ways this can be achieved is to use intelligent web-based tools to listen and learn more about visitors to your website and to actively manage their targeting. Trovus, itself a product of UK entrepreneurs Ed Charvet and Caspar Craven , would be one example of the former tool, or French entrepreneurs Pierre-Loic Assayag and David Chancogne's Traackr for the latter and influencer targeting.
You can use this information to connect with Generation Y over social channels to ultimately provide them with relevant, timely information about their fields of interest which they readily display for all to see. When the time is right, you can provide information on opportunities in your organisation. Eventually, a trusted relationship will develop that will produce candidates who regularly visit your website when they are seeking a job. Such techniques help to raise awareness of your brand as an 'employer of choice' and will support relationship recruitment by helping a 'passive' candidate to recognise, trust and return to the company.
This can be enhanced by creating dedicated recruitment microsites so your business can provide Generation Y-specific tailored content and by seeding this and other creative content across Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. This not only provides useful information, but along with the substance is the style which gives the impression of a young, dynamic and creative environment and one that knows how to reach its target audience. That's a very powerful message to send.
It doesn't have to be all digital and remote however. Don't underestimate the impact of involving your already-employed GenY-ers at jobs fairs or having them present at lecturing visits to target universities or recruitment seminars. This will speak volumes about your attitudes to people and their development. Also, consider offering internships and open days to selected students and don't forget to use PR to leverage all of these opportunities and as a communications channel itself.
Getting your recruitment right is the one thing you can do that will ensure your company has the best chance of succeeding. You need to take it seriously and tailor it to the audience that you want to attract. Increasingly, that's going to be Generation Y.
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