No doubt you’ve seen all the news stories about how Millennials fresh out of college have $100,000 student loans hanging over their heads and are happy to find jobs working at Starbucks. So that 20-something job candidate you just interviewed should be beyond grateful for a chance to work at your company, right?
Not necessarily. Despite a tough job market, a CEB study reported in Fortune says Millennials are actually choosier than you might expect when it comes to deciding where to work. Here’s what the survey found:
- The good ones go fast. Sure, there are some Millennials who are desperate for any type of work—but those with good qualifications often get multiple job offers. Millennials are more desirable than older workers for many firms because they’re working at entry-level salaries.
- They’re pickier than older workers. With the option to keep living with Mom and Dad as a safety net, Millennials can afford to be choosier than, say, the 48-year-old manager who has two kids in college and a mortgage. Millennials are interviewing you just as much as you’re interviewing them.
- They’re already sized up your business...sort of. Millennials naturally turn to the Internet and social media to scope out companies they’re considering working for. If yours doesn’t have a strong online and social media presence that conveys why your business is a fun, exciting and cool place to work, they’re likely to move on. (That’s why filling out your Glassdoor profile is so important.) Check out how you can make more of your employer branding efforts here.
- They want you to do most of the work. Although they’ll go online to learn about your business, they don’t dig as deep as older candidates do. This means you control the impression they gain about your business, but it also means the Millennial you’re interviewing may expect you to fill him in about your company’s business model, goals and needs.
Still want to land Millennial employees? CEB offers these tips for attracting them:
- Make the job sound interesting. “Sell” it to the candidate (while still sussing out him or her, of course). Explain what makes your workplace fun, unique and different. Hold the interview somewhere unusual or ask creative questions.
- Get personal. Millennials want to know who they’ll be working with on a daily basis and to see if it’s a good fit. Have the candidate meet the people he or she will be working with or even “shadow” them during part of the workday.
- Think career path. Millennials care a great deal about learning opportunities at your business. Show them the potential career paths they could follow and where the current job might lead in the future.
