How to attract Millennials to your business

Millennials are far from the unreliable job-hoppers they’re often made out to be. While employees from the noughties may hail from a generation unfamiliar to your own, it pays to understand what makes them tick and how you can attract them to your business.

Read more: How to manage and keep Millennials in your business

If you want to recruit Millennials you need to accept the things they value differ greatly to that of Gen X and Baby Boomers. To assist, I’ve compiled a list of top tips to securing the best Millennial talent.

1. Give them a reason to be loyal

Millennials can be perceived as disloyal but you’ll be pleased to know this is not the case. In fact, young people are desperately searching for long-term careers and want to work for companies with whom they see a future. If you want top Millennial talent to stick around you need to give them a reason to stay. Whether it’s career growth, learning and development opportunities, flex days or work-from-home options, have a think about what you can offer to ensure you’re more enticing than your competitors.

2. Tailor your interviews to help, not hinder, Millennials

Despite being members of a skilled and intelligent generation, young people today often struggle to find work as they lack the extensive experience outlined in many job advertisements.

You need to be realistic about the work history of Millennial candidates. When you write “three years’ experience essential” consider if that’s what you actually require. Don’t discount or disqualify candidates who don’t have an extensive job history, instead, enquire about any extracurricular university groups they have joined, internships completed or high grades achieved. Plan an interview focused on personality, hypothetical scenarios and intelligence to ensure you’re not disqualifying young candidates without properly assessing their attitude and aptitude.

3. Reach them on social media

Posting a job ad with a stock-standard job description simply won’t be effective in attracting Millennials. You need to reach out to candidates in the online environments in which they live – social media. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and more – these are the places young candidates are looking for jobs. Get creative with your job advertisements to entice candidates to your role and then deploy ads on social platforms to ensure your vacancy will actually be seen.

4. Build a friendly team environment

Above all else, the younger generation value a great workplace culture. No more whinging about the boss after hours, Millennials genuinely want a friendly mentor who inspires and encourages them. To attract and retain the best new talent you’ll need to foster a company culture that shows candidates they can have a great time at work while learning and developing at the same time. When you make your hiring decision don’t just think about the skills you need to fill a role, think of who will be the best fit for your team and office culture.

Saxon Marsden-Huggins is the managing director of Recruit Shop, which offers recruitment services to small businesses in Australia and New Zealand.