Millennials were born between the early 1980’s and mid 1990’s. By most definitions the exact dates are 1981 to 1996. Millennials range from early twenties to mid and late thirties.
Millennials are the fastest growing segment of the workforce so it's no wonder employers are scrambling to understand how they act and behave in the workforce. As with every new generation that enters the workforce, millennials are defined by a set of traits and desires that have been shaped by the economy and cultural background they grew up in.
Millennials are digital natives:
Millennials work as a team:
Millennials are job hoppers:
Millennials want freedom:
Millennials are data driven and goal oriented:
Millennials are attention seekers:
Now that we’ve established what defines a millennial, you might have read through the aforementioned information and been alarmed. It's important to further break down how to connect with and engage millennials as they are quickly dominating the workforce.
Don't worry about job hopping:
Adopt their language:
Provide a larger purpose:
What is ageism? Ageism is defined as prejudice or discrimination on the grounds of a person's age.
Ageism is nothing new, however with a recent push to hire millennials we are starting to see older generations being pushed out of and discriminated against within the workforce. Furthermore, the negative externality of companies’ drive to hire millennials is leaving older generations, who can also be qualified for the same job openings, out of the hiring process.
Nearly 2 out of 3 workers ages 45 and older have seen or experienced age discrimination. Numbers like these are hard to ignore, especially when in the past decade we have seen massive increases in the cultural acceptance of marginalized groups. Unlike these other groups, it seems as if age is still a category of people we are comfortable discriminating against. So what seems to be the culprit of this new influx of agism? Yet again the answer can be tied to millennials and their shared love of technology.
Millennials are technology natives, and they bring this comfortability with tech into the workplace. This tech comes with undeniable benefits, but can often leave a large skills gap between millennials and older generations. Employers often adopt new software in order to bring their companies into the 21st century and attract millennials to their job openings. Elder workers applying to the position, though arguably more qualified than their counterparts are unfamiliar with the software being used and thus are deemed unqualified.
Employers need to take a step back and evaluate whether their hiring process is ageist. It's worth noting that often a millennial will apply to a position with little to no knowledge of a specific software program or tool. Unlike with older generations, the employer will assume that the millennial will be able to quickly pick up the software and this doesn't think twice about it.
One of the simplest ways to evaluate whether or not a candidate is qualified regardless of age is to focus on the objective facts. Does the candidate have the skills needed to perform this job? Does the candidate have specific knowledge of the tools used here, if not have they demonstrated the ability to adapt and learn in the past? Chances are older generations have a resume full of examples. Asking yourself these simple questions allows you to source and hire both millennials and older generations. Millennials and Boomers both bring unique perspectives that in tandem make a company a powerhouse of innovation backed by decades of proven know-how.
It's almost impossible to talk about modern recruiting and talent acquisition without touching on the subject of millennials. Often when millennials in the workforce are brought up, they are cast in a negative light filled with stereotypes about their generation. While generational differences have always existed, there is no doubt that millennials are drastically changing the modern workforce.
Ignoring the preferences and patterns that millennials employ in their search for meaningful jobs will quickly leave you with missing out on top talent. As of right now, 2020, nearly half of the workforce is made up of millennials. It's time to start seeing past the stereotypes that plague millennials and see the positives. It’s key to also take a minute to assess your hiring process and make sure it treats all candidates fairly. Hiring millennials simply because they are younger will lead to poor quality hires. Embrace technology while acknowledging the skills gap that comes with it. Make an effort to focus on ways to engage and embrace the vast changes that are inevitably coming to the workplace without falling into the trap of an ageist hiring process.