War for Talent
The entire employer market is shifting and attracting young talents becomes more difficult. It's even more tricky now that a new generation (Gen Z) is arriving.
Attracting young talent can be difficult. The entire employer market is shifting and we at Zerocopy believe that’s a good thing. Other than compensation, the new generation is more interested in aspects such as career development, culture and work-life balance. But how can you take all those things into account as an employer?
Most of it is about having a strong employer brand. Meaning that you build a brand around the vision and culture of your company to turn it into a fun and exciting place to work for. To help you attract this young pool of talent here are 10 tips that will help you.
1. Have a clear job profile
Marketing your employer brand certainly is important, although having a sharp-cut job profile is too. Make sure to communicate a description of the expectations, daily tasks and responsibilities of the function. That way the candidates get an idea on what they will be doing and whether it’s a fit for them or not.
2. Introduce them to your company first
Graduates usually get a lot of requests and opportunities. To stand out you have to establish trust first. Invite them into your company with open days or a regular tour. The more familiar the brand the more likely they will be interested by what you have to offer. Therefore: be present and be valuable.
3. Use content to communicate your employer brand
The first thing your job candidates are going to do is look your company up online. Make sure there is a place designed for the candidates filled with content expressing your employer brand. Display the people they are going to be working with, have a ‘day in the life’ video and introduce them to the things you do for your employees. This is another great way to introduce them to your company and create trust.
4. Have internship programs
Believe it or not, a lot of graduates end up working at one of their internships. They already know the ins and outs of the company, have made friends there and grew a passion for contributing to your company’s vision. Besides, it saves both the company and the candidate time, who doesn’t love a win-win?
5. Work with schools
Schools provide a lot of opportunities for both companies and students. There are lots of initiatives in which you can participate such as speaking at a class filled with potential candidates. You can even work with students on practical school projects.
6. Offer student jobs
Today’s generation is very career-minded and most would like a student job that complements their studies or the work field they want to explore. By providing them a place to learn and experiment you create a lot of goodwill which may result in long-term relationships.
7. Empower your employees
When employees are empowered they create a sense of ownership and pride over the work they do. By giving them more trust and responsibility to work on their own projects you create a culture that supports initiative taking and independence. To pull this off you have to keep in account the barriers of empowerment being bureaucracy, lack of skills, lack of systems and lack of authority.
8. Be flexible
One thing that has become increasingly important for graduates is having a work-life balance. These youngsters grew up with a lot to do and most want to maintain those activities. Things like practicing a sport or playing an instrument, meeting with friends, taking a class and perhaps even having a little side project or organization they are involved in. Things we can only encourage!
9. Use social media
Again, speak with content. Show your candidates the place they might be working for. Display what you find important and what it’s like to work at your company. Just as said before you want to create trust and familiarity. You can do this by sharing real pictures or other content of the daily life in your team!
10. Offer growth opportunities
Lots of students and graduates are looking for a job with opportunities. Meaning they can grow internally in the company as well as professionally for themselves. Empower them to develop their skills and talents by offering training programs and challenging them.
After this the actual recruiting, onboarding and follow up still has to happen. For now just focus on providing the right message, to the right people at the right places. Do you need help reaching a young audience? Don't hesitate to contact us for tailor made plans!
