5 Ways to Recruit Millennials in 2016 - Spark Hire

5 Ways to Recruit Millennials in 2016 - Spark HireThe time has come for companies to focus on recruiting the best and brightest of the millennial generation. Today, millennials make up one-third of the American workforce, and some studies estimate the generation will make up close to 50 percent of the workforce by 2020. Having spent their formative years navigating economic instability and groundbreaking technological advancement, millennials job preferences are significantly different from Generation X and the baby boomers. If you want to recruit millennial talent, your business must understand both wzu siche to find and how to attract the cream of the crop. 1. Invest in a Culture Page on Your Company WebsiteMillennials are looking for culture, not the corporate world. Only 15 percent of 2015 college graduates would prefer to work for a large corporation, and many would take a lower paycheck if it meant working for a company with a positive social atmosphere. Millennials want to do work that will enrich their lives. To engage with this desire, create a page on your website dedicated to sharing your companys culture, from holiday events to the various ways your business encourages employee growth and fulfillment.2. Search on Rising Social Media PlatformsIn order to recruit millennials, you have to know where to find them on social media. Many companies have embraced social hiring, with 54 percent of recruiters using Facebook to find new talent. Develop a presence across multiple social media channels and then make an effort to share team successes, highlight your culture, and announce new job openings. Beyond the most obvious social platforms Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter venture into growing channels like Snapchat, where you can post creative snaps to connect with your desired talent swimmingpool in a more informal manner.3. Make Your Job Application Mobile-FriendlyMobile Internet usage is on the rise, and it is affecting job searches and application proc esses. On average, nearly 60 percent of candidates used a mobile device to search for a job, and 52 percent used them to apply for a position. Millennials are searching for jobs while on the go. To cater to this, go beyond making your website mobile-friendly and responsive develop an online application process that is simple to access and easy to navigate on a mobile device.4. Use More VideoVideo and other engaging media can be very attractive to millennials. Tap into this by adding a video to your job description. It could feature your team, offer a tour of the office, or explain the job position through motion graphics. Additionally, as millennials prefer to work for companies that embrace technology, try incorporating video interviewsinto your hiring process. These efforts show that your company is technologically savvy and employee-focused.5. Emphasize GrowthSome recruiters fear that millennials are job hoppers, and studies tend to agree with this assumption. This doesnt have t o be the case for your millennial employees, though. Millennials desire purpose in their life and career. They seek feedback, support, and opportunities for growth. To attract millennial talent and encourage them to stay with your company, emphasize chances for development via ongoing education opportunities or interdepartmental collaboration.By actively recruiting millennials in 2016, you can build your workforce to include inspiring and creative young minds that embrace your companys vision and commitment to growth.About the AuthorAlice Williams has an MA in Communication Studies from San Francisco State University, where she studied organizational communication and HR extensively. She is a contributor to BusinessBee and likes to go hiking with her husband in her spare time.

How Employers Use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)

How Employers Use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)How Employers Use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)Many employers use applicant tracking systems (ATS), also known as talent management systems, to process job applications and to manage the hiring process. They provide an automated way for companies to manage the entire recruiting process, from receiving applications to hiring employees. The information in the database is used for screening candidates, applicant testing, scheduling interviews, managing the hiring process, checking references, and completing new-hire paperwork. How Applicant Tracking Systems Work When applicants apply for a job online, their contact information, experience, educational background, resume, and cover letter are uploaded into the database. The information then can be transferred from one component of the system to abedrngnisher as candidates move through the hiring process. The system allows company recruiters to review the applications, sends applica nts automated messages letting them know their applications have been received, and gives online tests. Hiring managers can schedule interviews and mail rejection letters through the ATS. Finally, human resources personnel can use the saatkorn information to put individuals on the payroll once they are hired. These integrated systems streamline the recruiting and application process for employers. Streamlining the Process Using an ATS can help save both time and money. Information from applicants is uploaded and organized in a database, making it easily accessible and searchable for human resources professionals. Because the information is collected and organized digitally and automatically, companies do not have to pay for the additional time taken by sorting and filing paper applications. Some systems also can save time for job applicants. Many employers use systems that allow job applicants to upload their vital information, work histories, education, and references directly from their profiles on websites like LinkedIn or Indeed. While job applicants obviously need to cater different applications to different positions, being able to bypass the tedious process of retyping this information for every application is a valuable time saver. Tracking the Process Applicant tracking systems allow companies to track where candidates found the job posting- on a job board, directly from a company website, through a referral, or from another source. This can be important information that allows employers to focus their recruiting on the areas where the data shows they have the most success or find the most desirable candidates while reducing or eliminating efforts in areas that show little success. Drawbacks However beneficial an applicant tracking system can be, there often are drawbacks employers need to consider. Systems are designed to look for specific keywords and types of backgrounds for advertised positions, meaning good candidates who are switchin g careers might slip through the cracks of the system and not get noticed. There also can be technical issues. Some systems will eliminate candidates if they cant interpret a scanned resume properly. This can happen if a resume looks slightly different than what the system is programmed to understand or if the resume is mora complex than it can interpret. Tips for Candidates If youre applying for a job through an online form, assume that your resume is entering an applicant tracking system. To increase your chances of making it through the ATS and to a recruiters inbox, optimize your application Follow instructions. Perhaps the most important thing you can do to make sure your resume makes it to a human being is to follow instructions exactly. That means including the right documents (resume, cover letter, samples, etc.) and the right document type (in other words, dont send a PDF if the instructions specify a Word doc). Use keywords. Keywords are terms that relate to job requi rements. To make sure that your resume is filtered correctly, use the exact keywords from the job advertisement. For example, if the job description calls for someone with experience in Microsoft Word, dont put Microsoft Office. A human can look at that descriptor and understand that is includes Word, as well as other applications, but a bot might miss it. Dont get fancy. Nows not the time for your infographic resume. In fact, even a PDF might be too slick for the system. Follow the instructions and send the exact file type specified. Choose a standard resume format and font. Align your text to the left and set 1-inch margins. Remember, you have to get through the ATS before you can impress a hiring manager. Dont make any formatting choices that will work against you.