Most employers often look out for millennial candidates when hiring, there are many reasons for this. Aside that millennial candidates are young and agile, they are often more productive than the older generations.
The millennial Generation is also known as Generation Y, this is a generation of people born between 1980s and early 2000s. Millennial candidates make up the largest part of workforce for most companies.
Companies are beginning to realise that they need to pay more attention to the millennial generation if they want to soar in their niche or field of operation. Recruiting millennial candidates helps you in building your company or firm to the desired level. However, despite that many companies or employers strive to recruit millennial candidates, recruiting the right set of candidates is important.
Recruiting the right candidates is essential as it aids an effective management of your workforce and this contributes immensely to the productivity of the company. Recruiting wrong millennial candidates is what every organisation must avoid at all cost because once you make a mistake when recruiting a millennial candidate, correcting such mistake might be difficult.
No firm wants to hire a liability. As an employer, you always look out for the best candidates for your jobs. This is why it is necessary that you pay attention to pivotal things while recruiting a millennial candidate.
Practical pitfalls you should avoid
Quite a number of employers recruit millennial candidates and make costly mistakes in the process. These mistakes do not only affect the company, they also cost the candidates either in their career expectations or work goals.
As an employer, there are certain pitfalls you need to avoid when recruiting millennial candidates. Avoiding these pitfalls will not only save your company but also avert impeding consequences that accompany such mistakes.
It is therefore pivotal that you are aware of the common mistakes many companies make when it comes to hiring millennial candidates and why you should avoid such mistakes. Below are 7 mistakes you need to avoid when recruiting millennial candidates.
Do not hire without knowing the goals of the candidate
One of the mistakes many employers make when hiring millennial candidates is failure to know what the goals of the candidates are and what drives them to choose that specific career path. As an employer who is passionate about seeing his company grow, you need to avoid this mistake.
It is really important that you know what drives an employee before recruiting him or her. Many employers are only fixated about getting millennials on board without bothering to know what the goals of these people are, before they hire them.
As manager or human resource personnel who is passionate about getting the best employees for a company, you need to pay attention to what the goals of the candidates are. Ask questions like; what gets them out of their bed early in the morning, what they can do passionately even when money is not involved and other intriguing questions.
Do not neglect personal development when recruiting millennial candidates. Dig up what the candidate has done in term of personal growth and career development. This does not only help the company to grow, it is also helpful for the candidates themselves.
Avoid bad preparation
Recruitment is a process that everyone should take seriously. You cannot afford to hire bad, unqualified or incompetent people into your company as a result of bad preparation. Therefore, before you even put out a vacancy or recruitment notice, you need to have a concrete plan that will enable you to hire the right set of people.
Even the experienced employees make mistakes, not to talk of inexperienced employees. Ensure that you prepare well before recruiting, good preparation even portrays you and the company serious.
Don’t conduct a shabby recruitment process, distribute roles accordingly for each interviewer and let everyone be ready for their roles. Careers Booster has come up with a guide on the best way for companies to prepare for recruitment.
Avoid all forms of prejudice and bias
Another costly mistake which employers make when recruiting millennial candidates is recruiting based on personal interest, preference and bias. Having an ulterior motive for hiring a candidate might backfire and impede the growth of the company. Do not hire based on the first impression you have on an individual or because of prejudice. Rather, recruit candidates based on the qualifications, abilities, competence and experience.
Do not allow the impression you have about a candidate affect or control the interview and the questions you ask the candidate. Do not change your standard just because of preference or bias. Maintain the same standard for all the candidates, ask them the prepared questions and select based on individual performance.
Avoid giving a hazy or vague job description
A notable mistake which employers make when recruiting millennial candidates is giving an vague job description. Many people come up with the illusion that millennial candidates are bright and figure things out on their own. They then go ahead to give a summary of the job, leaving the candidate to search more about the details. This is wrong!
A boring description of the job kills the morale of a candidate and many companies fall victims of this pitfall. Failure to provide a precise job description is unhealthy for both the company and the candidates you hire. Therefore, for you to hire the right candidates for a job, it is important that you give a detailed and realistic job description before you hire.
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Do not highlight only compensation
According to a recent research, only one-quarter of millennials take benefits to be very important when choosing a job. Therefore, highlighting only the monetary value or compensation is not enough to get a candidate to work for a company.
Money and benefits are not the most important factors candidates consider. Therefore, employers should avoid only highlighting the compensation. Tell them about the future of the company and how it will enhance their career growth.
Avoid doing all the talking
Do not talk too much when interviewing a candidate. Many interviewers make the mistake of doing all the talking, this is not good enough. ResumesPlanet advises that the interviewer talk less so as to allow the candidates talk about themselves and their career goals.
Do not neglect branding the company
It is important that your company has a good image, this attracts you to the right candidates. Attend to negative reviews about your company, do not leave them hanging. Ensure you brand your company and portray a good image of your company.
Failure to build or promote a company will affect the recruitment of millennial candidates. A well-branded company gives millennial candidates a purpose and a sense of belonging.
In Summary
Every company wants to hire the right set of candidates, discussed above are the pitfalls you must avoid at all cost when hiring a millennial candidate.
Those seven tips for recruiting millennial candidates again, are;
- Do not hire without knowing the goals of the candidate
- Avoid bad preparation
- Avoid all forms of prejudice and bias
- Avoid giving a hazy or vague job description
- Do not highlight only compensation
- Avoid doing all the talking
- Do not neglect branding the company
About the Author
Scott Mathews is an editor and publisher at Xpertwriters.com. He is a life coach and has mentored a number of entrepreneurs and business owners on how to recruit the best employees. He is passionate about football and video games.
