How to Get Millennials Excited About Joining Your Crew

By ABC Supply 

Millennials continue to make up a large part of the workforce — here is how to recruit and retain this generation. 

They grow up fast! Millennials, who were born between 1981 and 1996, are continuing to make up a large percentage of the workforce and are an important demographic for contractors to focus on as they make hiring choices. As this generation grows, it is critical to the success of your business to foster these millennials and help them transform into the ideal workforce for the industry. Read on to learn some expert tips from ABC Supply to keep in mind when recruiting millennials.  

Highlight long-term benefits 

When someone is searching for a job, they are likely keeping salary top of mind, and it’s no different for millennials. Millennials grew up during the recession, so their long-term financial well-being is important to them. In fact, 88 percent of millennials say that company stability is a top priority when considering employers. 

When discussing compensation with a millennial recruit, consider bringing up any benefits you can offer  that will provide them with financial stability in the long run, like a retirement package or a profit-sharing program. 

Provide professional development and opportunities for growth 

While financial stability is important, millennials are also looking for a sense of purpose beyond compensation; they value opportunities for professional development and advancement. More than half of millennials consider growth opportunities to be the most attractive job perk. 

Show interest in your recruits’ career aspirations. Do they want to someday be a site supervisor or project manager? What support can you provide to help them achieve their goals? Let them know about any training or professional growth opportunities that you offer. If you don’t have any formal training programs in place, show recruits that they will receive frequent, honest coaching from you and their superiors, which can lead to professional growth. 

Millennials prefer to be coached and nurtured rather than just directed. Good coaches work with their employees, not above them. Explain the “why” behind your directions and show your employees how doing something a specific way will help achieve success. 

Enable a healthy work-life balance 

Millennials view work as only one part of their life, so work-life balance and a healthy work culture are important. Consider what you, as an employer, can offer to provide team members with a great work-life balance. Do you offer maternity and paternity leave? Are hours flexible so employees can take time off to attend parent-teacher conferences or appointments? Do you require overtime, or is it optional? Millennials don’t mind hard work, but they do want to know that their employers care about their well-being. 

They also want to know what your company’s larger mission is and what their purpose would be on your team. Does your company have a mission statement or core values? Engaged employees are five times less likely to leave their jobs, so give your millennial employees a way to contribute to something larger than their everyday tasks. 

Similarly, millennials want to know that they are not just a number to their employers. When recruiting millennials, use individualized email communications, social media interactions and event invitations. Personal touches can go a long way. 

Use technology, strategically 

Millennials grew up in a technological world and are used to being connected to tech at all times. You can use this insight to look for potential employees on social media by posting job openings, upcoming events, project news and industry insights on websites like LinkedIn or Facebook. In fact, 62 percent of millennials reportedly visit a company’s social media sites to look for information about job opportunities. 

Millennials, more than any other generation, care about a company’s values and its ability to do good in the world. You can attract more candidates by using social media to offer insights into this part of your company. 

Once you have millennials on your crew, empower them to use technology when appropriate for your business. For example, ABC Supply offers myABCsupply, which is an online tool that allows its customers to place orders, track deliveries, request measurement reports and more, right from their computers or mobile devices.  

Millennials are hard workers, and they are an increasingly large part of the existing workforce. To make sure you position your business as an attractive career option, recruit millennials where they are — online — and highlight your company’s compensation packages, opportunities for professional growth and commitment to work-life balance. 

Learn more about ABC Supply in their RoofersCoffeeShop® Directory or visit www.abcsupply.com.  

Original article source: ABC Supply