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Hiring Millennials? Avoid These 7 Mistakes to Get Great Results

Written by Rachana Mishra | 11/4/16 1:24 PM

Recruiting millennials to your company can bring enthusiasm, youthful insights, and an awesome energy level and ability to interact with people and with technology to your enterprise.

However, recruiting Millennials comes with its own tricks of the trade. Millennials were brought up with technology, and their familiarity and ease with the online world is one of the greatest strengths that they can bring to the bargaining table and the conference room. When Millennials connect with a company they are linked in and online all the way from the starting point. This strong interest in technology can and should be used by the savvy company in the hiring process. Note, however, that while millennials run on the grid, they are also interested in training, advancement, feedback, and life/work balance.

So in order to nab a youthful, energetic and talented employee for your company.

Interview Mocha, online skill assessment software has put together a list of top 7 mistakes that must be avoided to get great results:

1. Throwing Money at Them

Millennials are motivated by many things, not just compensation levels. In fact, for most millennials seeking work, job satisfaction, and overall interest are more important than benefits and other compensation features. In other words, raising the level of pay or associated bonuses is no guarantee of attracting more talented people. Recruiters need to go far beyond compensation to impress millennials: Focusing on how the job benefits them as a person may well be the deciding factor for the best and brightest.

2. Making Empty Promises

Generation Y has an excellent ear for "marketing speak" and empty promises designed to attract applicants. After being surrounded by this kind of talk their entire lives, millennials are less than impressed. Cheap recruitment tactics will turn this age group away and leave you with the dregs. Instead, be completely honest and upfront with job seekers, and avoid any hint of duplicity or a "by the numbers" approach.

3. Taking Them As-Is

Millennials may be talented, inexperienced, eager, and any number of other things. But one thing is sure: They will change as their work experience grows. It may be a mistake to hire based on talent, rather than hiring a millennial who is eager to learn and teaching them what you need. Likewise, hiring the most experienced millennial may not give you the best results. The reverse lesson is also true: Millennials dislike jobs that do not offer opportunities to learn and grow. Make it clear that you will train them to adopt new skills and improve.

4. Expecting Them to Understand Your Point of View

Remember, millennials have relatively little experience in the job market, and they have no experience in the job market the way it was a couple of decades ago. Their perspective and yours will probably not line up in many areas. If you do not explain your point of view, they may not understand what you expect or how the business looks to you.

5. Requiring Them to Stay at Your Company to Receive Bonuses

Millennials love to move around, both physically and in their careers. They tend to be self-sufficient and willing to try new things. Do not expect them to stay at your company for years, and try to avoid structuring benefits to coincide with tenure rather than performance. Likewise, do not underestimate a millennial because they have job-hopped a lot in the past. When they find something they love, they will be willing to stick with you. Make these young workers consider your company as a career accelerator, rather than a parking lot.

6. Not Hire Them for Their Aptitude

Millennials are eager to learn new skills, they may be less experienced but if they have the right aptitude then they are more likely to succeed in the job. Here you can administer  pre-employment aptitude screening test that can judge their cognitive ability, communication skills and problem-solving ability. Interview Mocha provides a wide range of valid and reliable Aptitude tests for hiring entry level candidates, that will save you hiring time and avoid hiring mistakes.

7. Not Challenging Them

Millennials have shorter attention spans, are better at multitasking, and get bored more easily. They rarely know how much they are capable of. Help them increase performance by challenging them to achieve excellence. Offer them projects, with a learning component. It will challenge them and make them work harder.

Conclusion:

Millennials are continuous learners, team players, collaborators, diverse, optimistic, achievement-oriented, socially conscious and highly educated. They want flexibility in their jobs and opportunities to learn and meaningfully contribute. If you make the right moves now,  you can get the best out of this nearly 80 million Millennials workforce that can work wonders for you.