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Ryan Healy is a recent college graduate. He is a founder of 
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New here? Employee Evolution is a blog written by Ryan Healy. Ryan is a Co-Founder of Brazen Careerist, the webs #1 social network for young professionals. Ryan speaks with organizations on best practices for recruiting and retaining Generation Y and how to effectively use social media to reach your target market. To contact Ryan, please visit our contact page.
I recently read an interesting article by Michael Kane from the
New York Post about the high demand of college seniors and the new tactics employers are using to recruit them. I am just less than a year removed from being a college senior, so this article was of particular interest to me.
The first few stats discuss the amount of baby boomers leaving the work force (85 million) and the amount of Gen Xers (50 million) who because of sheer numbers will not be able to fill the amount of open positions. Obviously, this means that young workers are at an all time premium. Here’s a shocker, we already know this. Its simple math 85 million job openings minus 50 million people to fill them leaves 35 million unfilled jobs just waiting to be taken over by driven millennials. To say the least, this is a pretty cool time to be a recent or soon to be college graduate.
As you delve deeper into the article, Mr. Kane describes new methods of recruiting that companies are using to attract young people. Some of the methods he describes include:
1. Setting up corporate MySpace and Facebook Pages
2. Personalized Web Pages
3. International Exchange Programs
Each of these methods seem reasonable in theory, the International Exchange Programs especially peaked my interest. However, he goes on to discuss Travelers Insurance as leading the way in sending text messages to recruit college students. Now I’m not sure what caliber of candidate Travelers Insurance is looking for, but to me this idea is absolutely ridiculous. The company comes across as sounding terribly desperate to find any employee who can work a cell phone.
There is an unspoken rule about text messages that Travelers Insurance must be unaware of. To me, Texts are more personal than emails or phone calls. The only people I text message are my girlfriend, my brother and my close friends. Texts are short, to the point messages that can only be understood by someone who knows the personality behind the abbreviated words. I immediately delete those stupid Verizon advertisements that end up in my inbox. After a quick laugh, these recruiting texts would be deleted as well.
The article goes on to say that these personalized text messages.target young people and play into our need to feel special. Sorry Travelers Insurance, these mass text messages will not make us feel special, rather they will make us feel like targets in a recruiting scam by a desperate company. By the way, this whole need to feel special thing is getting on my nerves. Regardless of whether or not we need to feel special, the statistics show that companies have to start one upping each other to get the top talent, and like I said before, my peers and I are well aware of this.
I will not completely dismiss the role of text messaging in recruiting young people. If I have already come in to your office for an interview, met with you face to face and formed some type of personal bond, a casual text wishing me good luck with my job search would be fine. This is not something I would expect or even want for that matter, but if you are insistent on using text messages as a recruiting tool, this is the route to take. Skip the BS text message job advertisements, play into our need for a team oriented, friendly work environment and your text message recruiting MIGHT work.
Ryan,
It confounds me that these companies with their vast resources and pooled knowledge continually fail to consult the members of their organization who could help them the most in this area. The Millennials the company has already hired are sure to feel similarly to you and I about the strategies they’re using. Let the young people in the company have input on how to bring new young people into the company. Its the same principle as when I’m watching CNBC and I hear some old man talking about viral marketing like its the new voodoo (my head wants to explode). Its not magic. Theres just a generation gap that he is unable to bridge. Its the same reason he didnt think what his parents did was cool. Companies shouldnt have older middle managers and executives trying to bridge the gap. Millenials are social by nature, let them do the recruiting. If the company they work for really is worthy I’m sure they’d love to spread the word.
-Brad
www.brmaier.com
First, as much as I want to roll my eyes at text messaging job ads and completely agree with your assessment that this practice makes companies look desperate, I cannot. I, too, am a recent college graduate who recently undertook a grueling job search. I know that part of my problem was my choice of career field and the fact that it’s certainly not lacking in the workforce department *yet*, but I certainly didn’t have companies chasing me down to hire me. *I* was desperate for a few weeks, and probably would have appreciated any interest from a searching company I could get.
On the other hand, I completely agree with Brad’s comment. I recently took ownership of my association’s internship program, which is specifically looking (desperately) for millennials. The youngest person on the task force in charge of the program is probably pushing 50 and, though they have the greatest intentions, they were missing the mark on what will really draw young people into the industry. Hopefully I can change that soon.
Brad,
Agreed, practices like this would probably not be in effect if the right people were in charge of recruiting. At the very least, young people should be consulted before these practices are implemented.
jacqui,
You may be right, all millennials are not being chased down by companies. It depends on your field of work and where you are in your career, That being said, if you received a text message job ad and proceeded to accept that job out of desperation, I’m sure you would have no plans of moving up the ranks or even staying with the company. I know i wouldn’t. If attracting young people who are desperate for a job is the only reason text message recruiting will work , then its probably just as bad for the company as it is for the candidates.
Teehee! I love this post and the comments that follow it!! I mean, it’s admirable that companies are thinking of new ways to speak to this new generation, but text messaging recruiting?! That’s more than just dumb, it smacks of desperation and is pretty embarrassing too (kind of like when your dad tries to use phrases like “just hangin’ wid it”, “Wassup?” or “I’m cool wid dat” in front of your friends…) Definitely NOT the kind of image any company wants to project.
Brad’s right - companies need to let Millennials, or at least a peer group close in age/experiences to the targeted candidate group, inform the recruiting process more. I’ve heard anecdotal evidence of companies who have been doing this for a while now, but no definite leads - I’ll let you know if I come up with anything more definite.
Sarah