Most of us can relate to the feelings of uncertainty about the future that pervade our younger years. With so many options available to today’s young people, it can often be overwhelming and intimidating to make a career decision about the rest of your life when there are so many options at your fingertips.
In a recent Indeed survey of over 2,000 young people (aged between 16-23 years old), 36% of them said that they feel overwhelmed, confused or fearful about deciding on their career.
So, with so many career choices available to young people, how can businesses help to attract and engage young talent?
Engage with young people early on
The first step to attracting great talent is to engage potential job seekers early on. Most, if not all Australian universities will have a career expo. If you have the resources, use these days as an opportunity to introduce young talent to your business and provide them with all the reasons they should work for you. If you have a graduate program or offer internships, then this is a great place to find the talent to fill those spots. But don’t stop there, 38% of young people cite online job sites as being their preferred method of finding a job so make sure your job postings link to a website that is current, easy to navigate and shines a light on your business as an exceptional workplace.
If you have staff that have worked for you for a while, empower them to act as ambassadors on your behalf. This could include attending career expo days, going back to their high schools to speak about their career experience or even something as simple as promoting your business on their own social channels.
Offer employee perks
Make your business stand out by offering employee perks where you can. Indeed’s survey found that 53% of young people believe that businesses are stuck in the past and not up to date with the modern workforce. To keep abreast of changing expectations when it comes to work culture, introduce policies that a younger workforce might be more interested in. For instance, 57% of young people think that businesses don’t recognise the importance of a work/life balance. Offering flexibility is one way you can appeal to younger job seekers; you might consider allowing staff to work from home when they need, introducing mental health days (outside of sick days) or implementing an early Friday finish. Evidence of a great culture can make all the difference to someone who is choosing a workplace that aligns with their own values and needs.
The survey also showed us that 91% of young people are considering working overseas at some point. This indicates that young people have an ambition to travel and possibly work remotely or experience a varied work life. If you’re a national or international company, provide opportunities for travel where possible to keep existing staff engaged in the business.
Provide opportunities to grow
Most young people are hungry to learn and looking for ways to develop new skills. Show young employees that you’re dedicated to helping them grow in their role by offering opportunities to upskill through informal or formal training, or by stepping up in a role and taking on more responsibility. Think of it as an investment in your business, their added skills will feedback into the business and inspire other employees to work harder.
Also, ask staff who have been at the business for a while if they can act as a mentor to some of the younger workers. Not only will they be able to share some of the reasons they love working for you, but they can act as a teacher and guide for young people in your workplace.
What the survey has shown us is that young people now feel overwhelmed by the plethora of job options they have available to them. In today’s tightening labour market, young talent can afford to be picky when going for their first (or next) role, so any way that you can make your business stand out as an appealing place to work is only going to benefit you when hiring young talent. Keeping up to date with cultural and technological trends and introducing policies that assist with a work/life balance will also be important in the future for retaining young talent.
With more than 15 years of experience in the recruitment industry, Jay Munro has worked in a variety of roles in agencies and job boards, from consulting and recruiting, through to leading the product development of new sourcing technologies. As an Employer Insights Strategist with the Indeed Employer Insights Team, Jay pairs platform data with industry trend analysis to share Indeed’s story and bring the value of the company’s programs and solutions to life.