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Is your company where I want to work?

by Mary Jawgiel

Millennials are the employees of the future, and there is great competition among companies for their services and talents. Our competition is not just those of us in industrial distribution. The incoming workforce is in demand by every company in every field. It’s a buyers’ market, and you’re selling.

Does your company’s culture and personality attract the Millennial—or does your image detract from your ability to recruit new talent? Perhaps the best (and probably the hardest) thing to do is to try to view your organization through the eyes of a Millennial—a generation that’s totally connected, technologically savvy, easily bored, flexible and casual, ready to make a difference and collaborate with others.

First, take a look at the job posting you created to advertise the opening. What kind of words are you using to describe the position? Do they make the position sound appealing and interesting or dull and boring? Millennials don’t like to be bored. Every job has some aspect that makes it interesting. For an inside sales position, use action words, not job responsibilities, to introduce the position. Say something like: “Interact with a wide variety of interesting people as you explain our products to potential customers…”

When you talk about the company, leading off with rigid requirements are sure to get your position skipped over. Which job would you be more interested in: “Must be able to work from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.” or “Hours are flexible and can be negotiated?”

What else appeals to the Millennial in your job posting? Not all of them want to work for Fortune 500 companies. If you’ve only got a few employees, emphasize their ability to learn hands-on about multiple aspects of the business. Point out how a smaller organization means their contribution is essential to the success of the company and they can begin making a difference from day one.

Next, take a look at your use of social media. Eighty-three percent of the younger generation use social media, and your potential Millennial employee will be using it to check out your company. The way your company is positioned through social media influences them and helps them decide if they want to bother to apply for your job opening. Where do you have a social media presence—are you on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram? What does your presence say about your company? What are your customers—and employees—saying about your company? Millennials would prefer working for a company that lets their employees post and/or respond to customer comments and does a good job of showing the organization in a positive light.

Generation Y enjoys camaraderie, so put up some pictures of that last employee outing and how much fun it was on your company Facebook page or, even better, start a Pinterest or Instagram account, where pictures tell the story of how your organization values the relationships that can be built in a working environment. If your company volunteers or supports a social cause or group, put this front and center on your social media (and get younger people into your photos) and you’ll increase the number of Millennial candidates that respond to your open positions.

Now, on to your website. Does it have more copy than images? Is the copy short and to the point? Do any photos show people, especially younger people? Or is your website pretty much a product catalog without any company descriptions or stories? Remember, you are not only selling your company to potential new customers but also to potential young new employees. You may want to create a landing page on your site specifically for potential candidates and include the URL in your job posting. Tell potential employees about your company’s culture through pictures. Mentoring is something Generation Y values, so if you have photos of old and young employees working together, include them. Testimonials from current employees about how great it is to work for your company, along with their photo (use young employees, if you can), will show Millennials that they won’t be the only young employee at the organization. And, don’t forget to link to your social media sites from this page.

Really want to make an impression on potential Millennial job candidates? Develop an employee reward program that rewards going beyond the call with items of their choice, not yours. A recent survey by Achievers.com shows that Millennials want to choose their own rewards and are especially fond of incentives that include travel, experiences (day pass to a close amusement park and maybe a day off to go), gift cards and merchandise that they can choose. Put this on your “employment information” page and tell what some rewards were and what was done by the employee to earn them.

Kristin Heines, a Gen-Yer and employee of PTDA member Climax Metal Products Company, points to five things a company should do to attract Next Genners to companies:

• Feel like they know and like the company
• Feel like they belong
• Be compensated fairly
• Feel like they have unique (not necessarily expensive) benefits
• Feel like they are important to the success of the company

If you can show Millennials through your job posting, social media sites and your company website how you can meet those needs, the more apt a Millennial will be to apply for your open position.

Mary Jawgiel is ICP program director for the PTDA Foundation and is managing the new ICP Job Board at www.industrialcareerspathway.org. Mary’s life-long passion has been working with young people. Industrial Careers Pathway (ICP) is a cross-industry initiative supported by the ISA Foundation, NAHAD: The Association for Hose and Accessories Distribution and the PTDA Foundation. For more insights on recruiting, hiring and training Millennials in the distribution industry, subscribe to the ICP Talent Tipsheet at www.industrialcareerspathway.org/Subscribe.

This article originally appeared in the July/August 2013 issue of Industrial Supply magazine. Copyright 2013, Direct Business Media.

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