How to Write Job Descriptions that Attract Millennials?

What do Millennials want from job descriptions? Learn the best tips and tricks for writing great job postings that will attract the attention of generation Y!

Why do you need to learn how to attract Millenials?

Each generation has its own unique traits driven by the era, social norms, and technology. Millennials have been in the focus of the market and cultural research for many years, and today they are the largest group in the labor market.

Now, generation Y representatives make up almost a third of the world labor market, and by 2025 their share will reach 75% of the total employed population.

The arrival of people of a new formation, who are fundamentally different from their predecessors, is forcing companies to rethink approaches to employment and change the vacancy structure.

How are Millennials different from other generations?

Deep Patel, who specializes in the study of the generation characteristics, states in his article in Forbes that younger people are marked by a zeal for idealism. Millennials often look for the workplace that carries meaning and benefit. They are usually very easy to team up with others and handle many functions fairly well.

How to attract Millennials?

Every company wants to get an intelligent employee from generation Y. Ambition, commitment, and interaction with technology make millennials an indispensable employee and the main driving force of the company. But how to attract and retain them?

91% of millennials are open to new job offers according to a LinkedIn global study that covered 14,000 participants from different countries.

At the same time, the survey showed that millennials (unlike older generations) are bored with studying general information about the company, and in most cases, they can hardly imagine the conditions in which they are offered to work.

Thus, HR may not have a second chance to impress a potential employee. That is why it is vital to get the candidate interested in the first try.

What do Millenials want from job descriptions?

How can recruiters improve job presentation?

The first rule is to make your job postings as attractive as possible and easy to understand. A traditional job posting and a 30-minute telephone conversation followed by weeks of interviews no longer attract anyone.

Here are 4 tips for making your job descriptions more attractive to Millenials:

Tip #1 Elevator pitch trick

Elevator pitch (elevator speech) is a format of a presentation in a limited time, usually up to one minute. It is an average elevator travel time in a high-rise building. The principle is to deliver a job offer in a meaningful and concise way in 30-60 seconds, or 100-150 words.

This approach has no clear structure but there are recommendations on how to build it. You should draw attention to an interesting fact that evokes emotions, list the benefits, make the best possible offer.

Tip #2 Video format

It is not enough to admit that people now love Youtube. It went much further and few-minute videos are already too long. Nowadays, the vine is in trend. It is a video up to 6 seconds long.

Of course, presenting a job in 6 seconds is a challenge. However, video vacancy with a concise and lively story really works. This opportunity also allows you to make a quick overview of the working place.

Tip #3 Visualization

We are overwhelmed with information and just lazy to read texts, especially long reads. A detailed job description will certainly be required, but for example, visualization can be a useful additional tool for social networks.

It is important to isolate the basic requirements for candidates and the benefits of the proposal, and then wrap them in convenient visual packaging. This can be infographics or a more original format (there are relevant online services available).

Tip #4 Microtexts

Communication with candidates now predominantly occurs in messengers and social networks. That is, recruiters should be trained to write high-quality mini-texts and reduce the message so that the information is condensed but accessible.

Top 5 ways to attract Millennials

Millennials find it important in which environment to work and what values to pursue.

According to a recent Deloitte Millennial Survey study, 76% of millennials believe that the company where they work should contribute to positive changes in society. So what job features will primarily attract their attention?

#1: Offer flexible schedules and time for personal affairs

The technological era blurred the traditional boundaries of the working day and many employees are not confined to the office. The work-life balance is the top priority for millennials when choosing a place to work.

This means that companies are more likely to intercept and retain the most talented members of Generation Y if they can offer them a flexible work schedule.

You may offer an option for remote projects. Mobile devices allow employees to create an individual schedule that best suits their lifestyles and boosts productivity.

#2: Offer an attractive bonus system

Bonuses and values are important factors for candidates when deciding whether or not to agree to work. Most job seekers study employer bonuses while reading a job.

One way or another, many companies do not realize that their bonus plans may show a prejudiced attitude towards some members of society. The language of the bonus message must be clear and transparent.

#3: Make a clear-cut list of responsibilities

Most job descriptions are dazzling with a list of requirements. But at the same time, some of them provide little information about the responsibilities. It often makes the ad unclear. A potential candidate may be misled thinking he will need to cope with literally everything.

Millennials want to clearly understand the scope of their duties and what results they should bring. They need a full understanding of the goal that needs to be achieved, as well as the means that are acceptable.

#4: Show opportunities for professional development and personal growth

A prevailing number of millennials are not against changing their job every few years. It mainly happens as they do not see an attractive perspective in one place for too long.

Therefore, it is vital for your job description to highlight what career growth can await each employee. The ad should a so-called guarantee that a seeker will grow over time in your company.

Another important thing to highlight is the ability to obtain valuable certificates with the support of the company, undergo training, and enhance foreign language skills. In particular, it is of great importance for beginners: when a company is aware of a skills shortage but is ready to invest in their development.

#5: Show off your company culture

Representatives of this age group can easily find the disadvantages of potential employers. Millennials seek to work for honest companies that value employees. How to prove your company is reliable and promote your company culture to attract new talent?

• Spread the positive facts about your company online;
• Show your community engagement and share real stories about your employees on all social networks;
• Think of your culture as a brand and start a blog;
• Make information about your company easy to access.

Efficient job ad promotion: How to target Millenials?

Even a perfectly composed job description does not guarantee the employer that users will pay attention to his vacancy. In today’s flow of information, employers are fighting for staff in the same way the business fights for customers.

All jobs need to be advertised. Millennials are extremely mobile. Their interests are changing which greatly influences communication channels. Your job offer has to be literally everywhere.

Experts agree that recently the following trends are the most popular in attracting candidates:

1. Social Recruiting
   79% of applicants and 84% of recruiters use social networks to search for candidates.
2. Recruitment Marketing
   Use a multichannel approach. In the United States, the average employer uses several channels to post a job.
3. Mobile promotion
   More than 90% of job seekers are looking for work on the smartphone.

Where to post your job ads targeting Millennials?

Social platforms allow you to actively search for potential candidates and interact with them.

Thanks to wide capabilities, recruiting in social networks has already become a separate area of staff recruitment, which cannot be avoided in our digital time.

What resources are in the greatest demand?

1. Facebook
   The platform is popular among young professionals who spend a lot of time on Internet communication. They are ready for changes. For the most part, these are representatives of Generation Y deeply involved in the digital world. The main part of corporate content is meant for them. Mainly, these are pictures from corporate events, videos, reports from conferences, and everything that helps the applicant feel the atmosphere in the company.
   Learn how to post a job on Facebook!
2. LinkedIn
   LinkedIn was designed intentionally as a site for employment. Even the profile resembles a resume. Here seekers can receive recommendations from work colleagues as well as open discussion topics, promote training programs, etc. It is possible to find a middle and senior manager on this site and also invite a professional from abroad.
   Learn how to create an outstanding LinkedIn profile for your company!
3. Youtube
   YouTube is a popular video publishing resource. The resource is perfect for short presentation videos about hiring companies.
4. Twitter
   Most employers use it for short announcements and short notes (due to character restrictions). Here you can also place photos and videos.

Conclusion: You need to make changes to attract Generation Y

So, if you want to attract millennials to your company, you should keep up with the times. And the above hints will help focus your vacancy for this audience.

Follow these rules to successfully engage talents from a young generation.

About the author

Rebecca Willis, HR manager, personal trainee in management, a freelance writer for assignment writing service Ivory Research.