By 2020, 35% of the workforce will be comprised of millennials.
For recruiters, most prospective candidates you call in for professional assessments will likely come from this generation.
Needless to say, the hiring processes that worked perfectly well a decade back are quickly becoming inadequate.
What are some of the critical things to keep in mind when hiring in a millennial's world? Read on to find out some of the critical processes that you should employ today.
Data-Based Hiring
Decades past, a resume and cover letter was all the data required. Not anymore.
Truth be told, most candidates look good on paper. With professionally done resume templates on the internet, it does not take much for a candidate to come off as a perfect fit.
What you need is validated data. And this is easy to come by. Once you figure out what your staffing needs are, the culture and skillset you are going for, you can get customized assessment tests to evaluate candidates.
Customising the assessments available in the market lessens the possibility that candidates will practice beforehand, thus giving you a clearer picture of who an individual is.
Self-Improvement
Most industries are evolving faster than ever before. This is true across most fields, be it in tech, medicine, manufacturing, and so on.
While it was once okay to rely on a Degree up until retirement, this does not serve the business environment anymore.
Aside from picking the best brains, recruiters are increasingly recognising the need to hire candidates that show enthusiasm for self-improvement.
When you think about it, with the advent of online courses, continuing education no longer requires a student to take time off of work to sit in class.
It's also easily accessible and more affordable, which is less taxing to professionals today.
In this regard, the effort a candidate takes to learn, improve and polish their skills is appreciated now more than ever.
Continuous Passive Hiring
Many recruiters have made more expensive hiring mistakes than they care to admit.
And this is understandable.
While the ideal situation would be to get an ample notice period from an employee, this is not always the case.
At times, exiting employees leave you flatfooted and almost desperate to find a replacement.
In haste, you are likely to get a bad hire.
Recruiters today are looking at recruitment as a continuous process rather than one driven by need.
The trend is to source for candidates for different roles quietly, without necessarily having a vacancy.
Technology supports this rather well. Professional sites and online communities are awash with prospective candidates across all fields. Here, you can identify a few people of interest that you can contact for an interview once a position falls vacant.
Candidate Experience
Well, a candidate needs a job to earn their keep, so it's their job to impress you. Right? Wrong!
This might be true for baby boomers, but not for millennials.
Indeed, today's younger workforce requires an all-round work experience. A great culture is important, and flexi-time or remote working are attractive perks.
In a sense, the recruitment process is two-way; both parties need to be impressed.
One outstanding feature of the candidate experience is a realistic job preview.
This is aimed at accurately capturing what your organisation is like-both good and bad. In a way, this helps candidates absorb shocks better after employment. This reduces turnover rates significantly.
Another key aspect of 21-century hiring is responsiveness. This is seen through providing feedback to candidates on the status and progress of their application status.
Progressive companies also forward assessment test results to candidates as a goodwill measure to help candidates understand why they were not a suitable choice.
The Long and Short of It
These are some of the newer hiring practices employed by progressive recruiters today.
As you employ some of these in your organisation today, ensure to also be on the lookout for newer and better methods of streamlining your staffing needs. Ultimately, this will give you better candidates.
