The generation gap is a hot topic in today’s workplace. While it’s only natural that different generations have different priorities and want different things at various points in their careers, employers sometimes descend into broad, often misguided clichés, such as “Millennials want flexibility, baby boomers like structure”.
The fact is that the makeup of the workforce is changing, and organisations need to know how to attract Millennial employees and ensure a quality talent pool for IT recruitment. To continue bringing in great people, it’s critical to offer young, capable individuals what they’re really looking for in an opportunity.
Here are some of the best ways to pique the interest of the next generation of IT professionals:
Create a Sense of Purpose
Purpose is a big motivator for Millennials, as many of them want to feel that their work has an impact or that the ideals of the organisation align with their own. However, this can be a tricky thing for employers to nail down and is often made up of several components.
What the company itself does, and how it does it, is central to creating a sense of purpose. Some work is inherently rewarding, such as that of non-profits, but that doesn’t mean other organisations like IT can’t provide gratifying end-goals as well. The key is to highlight how the role of each team member contributes to the success of the project or helps to achieve objectives. This way, all employees can know that their work is valuable to the business in a real way. Similarly, a great culture and well-defined values can make even the most mundane tasks feel important.
Another avenue to building purpose is to emphasise any relevant CSR work or community engagement initiatives by finding statistics for how these positively impact people both within and outside of the organisation. In addition, be sure to recognise your people regularly and let them know their efforts are noticed. This will boost their sense of purpose and give them more of a reason to keep coming to work.
Provide Support and Mentoring
Attracting Millennial talent is not just about meeting their expectations in the short term. With most Millennials being fairly early on in their careers, having people around to learn from and assist with their growth is a huge priority. That said, in rapidly-evolving industries such as IT, it’s not uncommon to see Millennials in senior technical roles. Even if there isn’t someone else in the team with greater technical ability, you can still provide support in other areas through personal development and mentoring.
Mentoring has benefits not just for the more inexperienced team members, but for the organisation as well. It’s a great way to invest in employees and help them realise their potential, enabling them to become the best workers they can while strengthening the company overall. You’ll be able to develop a well-rounded talent pipeline that will ensure the sustainability of the business in the long-term. It also helps to instil a culture of learning that promotes improvement, innovation and teamwork, principles that are especially important for organisations in the tech world.
Offer Opportunities for Progression
There is a reason why nobody wants a “dead end” job. People want their careers to have direction and a chance for growth, and providing a clear path forward is a huge part of that. This is particularly true when attracting Millennial talent, as many ambitious young employees are focussed on progressing, and doing so quickly.
It’s essential to keep everyone’s options open and avoid pigeonholing anyone into a single type of role or skill set. A good way to support progression is by talking to each person about what they want to achieve and building a development plan to help them get there. Be sure to establish clear guidelines around how to get special projects, benefits, leadership opportunities and promotions, and follow through when they are achieved. This not only keeps the Millennials on the team engaged but has a fantastic impact on the morale and culture as well.
Summary
Millennials may not have the same goals and expectations as the previous generation, but by learning what makes them tick you’ll be able to tap into their unique strengths and build a reputation of being a great place to work.
For more insights on how to attract Millennials to your workplace or for support with your IT recruitment, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the specialist team at RWA Technology People.