Employers often struggle to find qualified job candidates. But if companies want to snag top talent, they’ve got to take a chance with Millennial job seekers first.
Business owners tend to skip over young job candidates for a variety of reasons. They write the Millennial job seeker off as unqualified, or point to skills gaps on their resume as a reason not to hire.
But, having Millennials in the workplace brings a unique perspective to any company, one that may be just what employers need to identify gaps and help their business to grow.
It’s time to stop skipping over young job candidates, and take an educated hiring risk. Employers need to do the following if they want to give Millennial job seekers a fighting chance:
Don’t throw out short resumes
Too many employers throw out short resumes, deeming the job seeker to be a bad fit because they don’t have the right skills.
But skills are transferrable. Millennial job candidates may not have much experience, but they’re young. They need to be given an opportunity to grow if they’re going to make a real impact.
Employers should realize this before skipping over a candidate with a short resume, and dig a bit deeper.
Don’t run away from a sparse portfolio
Growing up, Millennials have just as much on their plate as many professionals do — they have complex personal lives, part-time jobs, and school work to tend to. That might mean little time to focus on building a portfolio or body of work.
That doesn’t mean the Millennial job seeker is unqualified, or will translate to a bad employee, it simply means he or she can maintain balance, handle stress, and establish time management.
While the candidate may not have been doing this in a workplace, they can certainly transfer those skills to your business.
Don’t neglect the impact of technology
Millennials have been brought up on technology. The Web quite literally grew to fruition as Millennials themselves aged and matured.
As technology increasingly integrates with our daily lives, it’s shaping our workplaces, too. That means Millennials can bring valuable technological knowledge to any workplace — and employers stand to reap the benefits.
Don’t just hire people who are like you
It can be easy to hire a job seeker who attended the same college or university, grew up near your hometown, or even roots for the same sports team.
But these things are just that: minor. Your business needs new perspectives if it’s going to grow. Determining a candidate isn’t the “right fit” because they don’t share minor things in common could just as easily lead to a dud of a hire.
While it’s important to hire for cultural fit, it’s important to hire diversely, too.
Don’t use cut-and-dry hiring processes
Getting Millennials into your workplace means employers have to stop using cut-and-dried hiring processes.
Give job seekers a real business challenge to solve along with their resume. This makes the hiring process more interactive, and allows employers to tap into Millennials’ brains instead of focusing on words on a resume.
Employers need to stop with excuses and give Millennial job seekers a chance. If they do, they could open up a world of new ideas and perspectives — and ultimately, improve their business.