I work for PRstore, where the office environment is a bit like a dot-com company before the bubble burst. We play Guitar Hero and Rock Band to blow off steam. There’s a fussball table in our lounge. I’m not wearing any shoes right now.
As you may have guessed, we’ve got a young crowd here: A bunch of 20-somethings, a handful of 30-somethings, and a few veterans to remind us from time to time that this is, in fact, a workplace.
They’re also some of the most talented writers and designers you’ll ever meet.
How do we attract such gifted employees? More importantly, how do we retain them? PRstore partners ask themselves those questions every day. Even with 30+ franchises in 20+ states, we’re a lot like Mr. & Mrs. Small Business Owner.
Advice from an Expert on Generation Y Employees
Penelope Trunk is an entrepreneur and columnist for the Boston Globe. She’s also the author of Brazen Careerist: The New Rules for Success, a rather provocative career advice book for the modern workplace.
Penelope also just launched BrazenCareerist.com, where the Gen Y crowd is reinventing career strategy. And in her blog, she recently offered a few radical tips for attracting and retaining top talent:
1. Tell people where they’ll go next. Talented young businesspeople aren’t shy about using one job as a springboard to another. While bouncing from job to job is unconventional, it’s the new reality. If your company doesn’t embrace this reality, you’ll never attract sharp minds in the first place.
2. Use your public relations team to prop up the manager. I’ll make this simple. Good bosses make good employees. Bad managers make unhappy, unproductive employees. If you have good managers who empower your staff, energize your staff, and get the most out of your staff – flaunt it!
3. Get some respect for specialty recruiters. Today’s employees change jobs every two or three years. We have deep loyalties to those who help us land the jobs we’re looking for. Be good to recruiters and they’ll steer top talent your direction.
4. Advertise in niche communities. I’d modify Penelope’s suggestion here to read “Become a part of niche online communities.” Want to attract a candidate with computer skills? An ad in the print version of your local paper won’t work. Blog where they blog. Have a presence on FaceBook or MySpace. This is where your candidates are – why aren’t you there?
5. Leverage social media. This is more or less an expansion of Tip #4, but the point is still valid. Remember when the Internet went from fad to must-have? Or cell phones? Yeah, social media is like that. Blogs, Twitter, StumbleUpon, MySpace – learn how to use these tools or you’ll fall behind the recruiting curve.
Why Does This Matter to Me?
Your people are your business. They come up with ideas. They interact with customers. They sell your products and services. They represent you publicly. They define your image. They power your company.
Attracting the smartest, most creative, most effective employees is what separates thriving businesses from sorta successful companies. The world has changed since you applied for and earned your first job. If you use 20th century hiring strategies, you’ll never attract 21st century employees.