Recruiting Generation 'Y'
MySpace and blogging — recruiting in the 21st century requires a new vocabulary and outlook for the traditional recruiter. These communication devices can be effective recruiting tools to attract the hip Internet savvy talent of any generation, especially Generation Y who are entering today’s workforce.
Internet social networks, such as MySpace, Facebook or Tagged, are information sources popular among Generation Y. Through this media they communicate with friends, find a movie or an event, enter or observe a forum, or review a job board. Recruiters can easily and inexpensively tap into these resources to attract a captive audience of potential employees. Eighty percent of MySpace’s (the leading network) demographic consists of 16–to 34–year olds, which includes many college–educated professionals.
There are two ways to recruit through MySpace. The recruiter can browse user profiles that include information such as, location, occupation, educational background, work experience and personal and professional goals; and then send a message via instant messaging or the MySpace network. The other method is to create a company user profile to advertise skill sets that you seek. Potential candidates can be invited to join your company’s personal network. This becomes not only a recruiting source, but also a way to send mass messages to a potential list, while building brand recognition at no cost.
Another information resource popular among Generation Y are blogs. Short for weblog, a blog is a personal web site where you can post any type of information — personal, political, professional or helpful. Blogs can contain text, pictures and links to other sites. They are most commonly known for journal entries, commentaries and recommendations compiled by the user. A recruiter can use a blog to post a job opening and give pertinent information about the position and company. Creating and maintaining job blogs gives candidates an authentic perspective into a position and a unique insight to a company’s culture. Recruiters can use a blog to increase their brand recognition among Generation Y.
As Generation Y becomes more prevalent in the workforce, our recruiting methods and messages need to speak to them. Internet social networks and blogs give recruiters another approach to reach the tech savvy and Generation Y.
Spectrum Human Resource Systems Corporation can help organize your recruiting efforts. iVantage®, our fully functional HRIS, provides applicant self–service and applicant tracking to help organize and track your applicant pool. Once an applicant is hired, iVantage has all the features you need to track and plan their progression with the company, including benefit enrollment, succession planning (something Generation Y looks for in a company), and training and development.
To learn more about iVantage and all of its functionality, call Spectrum at 800.477.3287 or visit www.spectrumhr.com.
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