Now that the economy is beginning its slow uphill climb, boomers are beginning to think about retirement and the cycle of hiring entry-level talent is beginning again. Yet, a lot has changed in these past months and as any hiring manager can attest to, the Millennial Generation is like no other.
Many hiring managers are finding it difficult to engage their entry-level professionals once they have gotten them through the door. The lack of engagement in turn, leads to poor retention and young employees who are just biding their time until something better comes along. Many Millennial employees cite that the lack of emerging technologies in the workplace has caused a rift between employer and employee.
Engaging entry level professionals
The Millennial Generation has grown up with technology and are referred to as “digital natives” this skill puts this generation at an advantage because they are able to integrate technology into all aspects of their work. This factor also creates a generation gap between older generations who are not as familiar with technology. Technology has also changed the way people interact. Older generations prefer scheduled face-to-face interaction while the Millennial Generation prefers convenient communication over e-mail, text messages and social networks.
Most companies can greatly benefit from integrating Web 2.0 branding tactics into their overall business plan. Many companies have not taken on this endeavor due to a lack of understanding of how to make Web 2.0 work for them. Digital natives such as the Millennial Generation thrive on technology and using it in all aspects of their life. An excellent way to bridge the generation gap that technology causes is to charge Millennial employees with putting together a Web 2.0 branding plan to present to the company that will help launch the organization into the new realm of branding. By bestowing Millennials with the responsibility of planning the use of Web 2.0 tactics, managers are capitalizing on the Millennials’ expertise and are giving them a responsibility to educate others on their expertise.
Involvement and retention
Millennials need to feel as though they are using their skills and expertise to their utmost capacity in order to be engaged in their job and by tapping into their expertise for the growth of the company, Millennials will have a heightened sense of loyalty to the company because they have been successful in taking their company into untapped territory and are seen as “experts” by their more senior co-workers.
To aid hiring managers in the process of engaging and retaining millennial talent, Intern Bridge, the internship research and consulting firm responsible for the nation’s largest annual internship research project brings you the Millennial Thought Leaders Online Conference, taking place October 26-30. This conference will address the Web 2.0 generation gap addressed above and is a unique opportunity to engage in a nationwide program of best practices for engaging today’s entry-level talent.
