chart of generations within the workplace

1. Tips for Recruiting to Diverse Generations
Top criteria: location, fit with their skills, career advancement opportunities and company reputation and ethics
Recruiting to the Generation Y:
Understand and Promote your companies Brand and Mission to the Generation – this generation is looking for more than just a job
title and description they want to know the companies long term and short term goals so that they can review areas where they can
add to the effectiveness of the organization
Create a career page that is interactive that allows potential employees to review job postings, possible succession plans and
benefits. Not just the health and retirement benefits but what does your company offer in terms of work life balance, working off
site, team building, training, etc… that appeal to this generation
Look at non-traditional websites such as MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn and Craigslist to help post for and recruit for your
positions and screen applicants.
Look to enhanced functions of tools such as CareerBuilder using their live web chat and soon to come avatar functionality.
Check out Blog sites especially ones that are specific to your areas of expertise better yet, create one!
Link up with local colleges; you don’t have to be on Fortune’s Top 100 list to attend college fairs, do onsite recruitment and
interviewing. College students want their employers to be involved in them just as much as they want to be involved with you.
Think about who currently works for you and where they are alumni; could this be an initiative that they could take on?
Recruiting to the Boomers and the Gen Xers
Networking, Networking, Networking – These individuals enjoy being face to face and feel that it is a most effective way to
communicate and make connections. So although much of what we do is moved to an eFunction of some form or another it is
important that organizations stay connected to their live communities as well as their online one.
Referrals - another form of trustworthy recruiting for these generational groups. This is a major reason why it is important to
follow up with potential candidates and the candidates you did not choose these groups and your existing team members can be
great lead sources when looking to recruit especially the passive job seeker.
Job Fairs and on campus recruitment are good places to find the non-traditional students, those individuals who are looking to re-
career themselves. Take the career guidance approach to these individuals as they may have been in one position or career for a
number of years and not truly sure what their next step may be or what is out their and available for this great group of
hardworking and newly educated workforce.
Detailed Job Postings: Promote flexibility in Scheduling; allow for creative thought and independent environments, give detail
when talking about your corporate culture and the type of candidate you are seeking. Use adjectives to describe your environment
and the job duties and ideal candidate so that people can better align themselves with the job such as “energetic and outgoing,
determined, independent, focused and driven, collaborative”
Managing Across the Generational Divide
This is a portion of a presentation given by The Employment Store and Unlimited Coaching Solutions
Danielle Powers
dpowers@employmentstore.com
(585)232-4880 x114

2. o Target students' top resources. Employers should communicate with candidates using resources students find most effective. Results from the
Experience Inc. 2008 job survey identified the following as the top four: in-person networking, university career centers, internships and online job
boards.
o Provide students with information they want. Choosing a job is no longer solely a financial decision. Recruiters should understand what
motivates students to select certain jobs and make sure these messages address candidates' top considerations. Survey results show college
students are looking for careers that match these top criteria: location, fit with their skills, career advancement opportunities and company reputation
and ethics.
o Align jobs with students' fields of interest. For example, technology companies listing finance positions may create more interest by
highlighting responsibilities associated with financial services. In the survey, students showed the highest interest in the following fields: finance and
banking, communications/media, nonprofit, social/human services and government. Utilize students' top resources and the company Web site to
communicate these key messages. Get creative in matching employment offerings to student preferences and the organization will stand out among
the competition.
Tips for Retaining Generation Y
Employers need to understand the incredible impact Generation Y is making in today's workforce. Gen Y has created a need for a cultural overhaul that has
not been this dramatic since women entered the workforce. Employers who manage Gen Y according to their preferences will retain them longer.
o Offer more than compensation. The focus for these individuals is about advancement, improved capabilities and recognition of achievement
marked by a new position. Offering Gen Y employees a raise while keeping all other factors the same will not have the same impact as giving them
new challenges.
o Tailor communication style. Hiring and department managers need to practice a new style of communicating with Gen Y employees, who
respond to humor, passion and the truth. Direct and timely feedback, frequent encouragement and recognition of efforts are important to 18- to 30-
year-olds. While this may feel like pampering to some, the outcome is a set of employees that is engaged and motivated to show great work.
o Rework management training. Talent managers are urged to re-evaluate their standard procedures from training to goal setting to performance
reviews. Reviews should become more frequent, reward and incentive programs should be re-examined and other elements of organizational design
will need to be reconfigured.
o Adjust lifestyle benefits. Employers need to make an extra effort to meet Gen Y's needs by treating these team members as a special class of
employees. Employers should bring them together for meetings and training sessions, combining entertainment and learning. This creates the
feeling of community desired by Gen Y while emphasizing an expected investment in individual performance. Employers also are getting more
creative in the work-life balance arena by offering perks, such as one-month sabbaticals after five years of service.
o Offer distributed work environments. The office will no longer be the hub it once was. Working remotely will become standard, leveraging
technology and virtual relationships. Gen Y is at the core of this trend because, for them, meeting and interacting online is just as comfortable and
real as face-to-face meetings. This will benefit companies greatly as the need for global teamwork and flexible work hours continues.
Managing Across the Generational Divide
This is a portion of a presentation given by The Employment Store and Unlimited Coaching Solutions
Danielle Powers
dpowers@employmentstore.com
(585)232-4880 x114