Hiring entry-level employees require you to learn how to hire millennials and Gen Z candidates. Since most of the entry-level workforce comprises individuals from the younger generation, you should know how to interact with them and entice them to become a part of your organization.
Why Need a Different Approach When Hiring Entry-Level Employees Today?
Entry-level job seekers today are either millennials or Gen Z, with the latter making up the majority. The population of job seekers nowadays is much different than the individuals you were trained to hire years ago. They have different ambitions, goals, and priorities that you should adjust to. One of the most important things you should consider when hiring entry-level talent today is the generational gap.
Most of the entry-level job seekers today grew up in a different time than most of us did. They were exposed to the digital world in their early years, while some of them don’t even remember a time when social media and the internet didn’t exist.
Younger millennials and Gen Z are also more politically aware than other generations. They talk more often about the issues they care about using social media and they actively support socially conscious companies.
Because of these and other facts about younger millennials and Gen Z, you should adjust your recruitment strategy. Make sure to think about these specific points when coming up with improvements regarding your hiring strategy for entry-level applicants:
- How to reach them
- How to attract and entice them
- How to create a great candidate experience that allows you to find highly qualified talents
How to Find the Right Entry-Level Employees
Aside from adjusting your perspective on how to hire for entry-level positions nowadays, you should create an efficient strategy that helps you find and attract young talents. Here are some things that you can change or add to your recruitment approach that will allow you to get in touch with qualified entry-level candidates:
Reaching the Right Candidates
If you want to reach millennials and Gen Z and entice them to apply for an entry-level position in your company, you need to find them where they spend most of their time: social media and online communities. Aside from posting your openings on job boards, you can advertise them on social media networks, such as Facebook. This way, interested applicants may easily reach out to your company should they have any questions about the job.
Social media platforms are also a great way to look at an applicant’s work while also having a glimpse of their personal side projects. For example, some of the younger designers may post some of their works on Facebook or Twitter. Writers can also share some of their published works on their social media profiles, which can help recruiters like yourself learn more about a candidate’s skills.
Aside from using social media platforms, another way of how to do entry-level hiring is to attend and host job fairs and career events. These events will be more effective if you work with university alumni associations, which can help you reach recent graduates.
You can also host an open house that is focused on attracting different kinds of job seekers. Through these, you can connect with experienced individuals who have decided to change careers and come from different backgrounds.
Entice Entry-Level Job Seekers to Apply
When recruiting entry-level candidates to your company, it is important to keep in mind that most of them are not focused on the job alone. Most of them want to work for a company that aligns with their political beliefs and provides them with enough benefits aside from the usual salary.
To sell your business to younger millennials and Gen Z, you need to tell them about your company’s purpose, mission, and values. Showcasing your business model, value proposition, and market focus can also entice entry-level job seekers to apply to your company.
Additionally, creating a targeted and engaging job ad will definitely help your cause. Including a creative job description in your advertisement will encourage applicants to learn more about the opening. Make sure to list all the skills needed for the position and the perks and benefits they can enjoy when they work for your company.
You should also detail the transferrable skills that you need from aspiring applicants. These skills are important for every position and may determine an individual’s success in your company. Some of the transferrable skills that recruiters often look for in a candidate are:
- Critical thinking
- Time management
- Problem-solving
- Leadership skills
Get to Know the Candidates Through an Interview
One of the greatest strategies for entry-level hiring that you should practice is conducting interviews. Although this is a great method to learn about a candidate beyond their resume, it can be time-consuming to interview several candidates for one position.
To easily evaluate a group of interviewees and screen unqualified candidates early on, you can conduct group and phone interviews. These methods will save you time and resources from interviewing every candidate one-on-one and are effective screening approaches early in the recruitment process.
After shortlisting qualified candidates from the group and phone interviews, you can start talking to them one by one to learn more about their skills and personalities. In doing so, make sure that you have prepared interview questions that allow you to know about an applicant’s transferrable skills.
You can start by asking well-crafted, open-ended questions that tell you more about each skill area. With these types of questions, candidates are encouraged to answer using their real-life experiences from college, past jobs, extra-curricular activities, and other situations.
Additionally, you can ask situational interview questions to see how an applicant will use their skills in work-related scenarios. These types of questions will help you see that a candidate knows how to apply their skills instead of just talking about them.
Make sure to evaluate every candidates’ response as you interview them. Each one should be graded on every skill area. After conducting all the interviews, compare every candidate’s score sheet and determine who among them is the most qualified based on the interview results.
Assess Entry-Level Candidates’ Skills and Personalities
Aside from basing your hiring decision on interviews, you should recruit entry-level employees based on their skills and personalities. Although you can talk about these aspects in the interviews, you need an objective way to assess them thoroughly. The best way to do this is through different types of pre-hire testing.
To assess candidates’ hard skills, you need to provide them with an employment skills test. This kind of assessment will be useful to determine if an applicant has the right set of technical skills and knowledge to fill the open position in your company.
On the other hand, you can assess an individual’s soft skills by providing a personality test for applicants. Through this kind of test, you can learn more about an applicant’s emotional intelligence, cultural fit, work ethics, and motivation. These aspects can play a huge role in your decision of who to hire.
You can also learn more about an applicant’s personality by having them answer an integrity test for hiring. This assessment will give you a glimpse of a candidate’s trustworthiness, rules compliance, responsibility, and candidness.
For more information and inquiries about online personality tests, don’t hesitate to contact Aptitude today.
Match the Candidate to the Right Entry-Level Position
Once you have the results of the interview and pre-employment assessments, you should have an idea of the candidates that you have chosen to hire. Make sure to look at your data when deciding who to hire. This information should also guide you when matching an applicant to an entry-level position.
After choosing the candidate/s you are going to hire, make the necessary offers and onboard them as soon as possible. You should also give feedback to the candidates you did not select and inform them of your decision.
Retain Entry-Level Employees
Remember that your recruitment process doesn’t end once you hire an entry-level employee. You need to ensure that your new hire stays in your company for a long time, even despite the high turnover rates of most entry-level positions. The best way of how to retain entry-level professionals is to focus on their first six months on the job.
You should provide them with a smooth onboarding and training process. You should also introduce them to older and peer mentors who can help them feel more at home in your company. Also, make sure to check in with your entry-level new hire frequently to see how they are faring.
Lastly, you should provide your entry-level employees with a clear career path. This demonstrates to your staff that you are interested in working with them for a long time by investing in their development. You can ask them what they want to learn about and design the career path together.
Invest in Your Hiring Strategy for Entry-Level Positions
Hiring entry-level candidates do not need to be stressful when you have an efficient recruitment strategy. Follow the tips listed above, and you’ll have a company with an enthusiastic, young workforce that is committed to bringing your organization to success.
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