At the Millennial Leadership Summit I attended in April, Bill Pallett and Jose Bansil of WJ Pallet & Associates talked about how to attract and retain millennial talent. Human resources administrators often talk about how difficult it is to find the right people for the job, and yet many millennials are underemployed. How can we connect these two often disparate factions?
According to the report What Millennials Want From Work by the Centre For Creative Leadership, most millennials want flexible work hours. 70% of millennials say it’s okay to be critical of their supervisors, and 66% of millennials say it’s important to have control over their work. These statistics are the very reason millennials are often maligned in workplaces and the media. But it’s these characteristics that could make them an excellent addition to any team. Autonomous, self-directed and passionately engaged employees can do great things, if we step back and let them do their thing.
In order to appeal to millennials, employers should appeal to their values: growth, purpose, innovation and entrepreneurship. And when it comes to appealing to these prospective employees, the internet is your playing field. It’s no secret that millennials are online more than any other generation in the workforce so if employers want to recruit them, they have to meet them where they live.
Millennials are known for being driven by emotion. As a millennial, It’s important for me to work in a career I’m passionate about. At Learnography, I’m not just going in and punching a clock. I feel like my work has meaning, and am excited to come into work every day. I thrive off of inspiration and rather than looking at my emotions as a weakness, I use them to my advantage in the workplace to tackle each project I take on. Millennials like me are looking for employers who value this approach.
But the work of appealing to millennials doesn’t stop when one joins your team. We hunger for professional growth and development and value employers who provide us with these opportunities. At Learnography, for example, I’m currently developing my project management capacity as I grow in my role. The experience and education I’m gaining will not only add to my skillset, but will benefit Learnography in the long run.
Finally, millennials know we shouldn’t have to choose between doing work we’re passionate about and earning a competitive salary. We aren’t just in it for the money, and we value an environment that supports work-life balance, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to sell ourselves short when it comes to salary negotiations. Millennials want to feel valued in every sense of the word, so listening to their perspectives and investing in their future development is just as important as compensation.