There is a major discord between current students and most employers in trying to gain prospective employees. Quite simply, many companies do not know how to effectively market themselves for entry-level employees. The tactics that were successful 10 years ago no longer apply because Gen Y has been raised differently than previous generations.
We want to experience you, not just read about you
We are a multimedia generation. I have been using the Internet for approximately 40% of my life and, for younger members of Gen Y, this number is 50% or higher. Television and advertising have also been huge components in our lives. We have been raised to respond to different stimuli than earlier generations: simple pamphlets or signs will no longer pique our attention.
Videos or a short slideshow on an LCD screen will make most of us stop and pay attention because they’re creative and dynamic. These media also more effective when the characters look like us, talk like us, act like us and are presumably very close to us in age. We do not want to be hired into a workplace where no one can relate to us, and if the first view of the company we get is someone the same age as our parents, we may not be as inclined to reply.
We have no idea why you’re the best, so tell us … in detail!
We were raised to accept nothing but the best for ourselves and we want to know why you are the best. No, not how well your sales did last quarter, things we actually care about as job hunters.
For example, what kind of health benefits does your company offer? What does the company do for staff gatherings: potluck lunches in a meeting room (boring, old fashioned … need I go on?), or after-hours trips completely unrelated to work (sporting or charity events, etc)? How much vacation time do entry-level employees receive? What steps has the company made to be more eco-friendly and socially responsible?
For Gen Y, the brand that goes with the position you’re hiring for will entice us to apply for the job. If we think your company really values your employees or the same things we care about, we’ll be more interested in working for you.
Your current “free gift” is probably boring
Many of us have received promotional materials during university/college fairs, frosh weeks, festivals and career fairs. These items, called SWAG (Stuff We All Get), are a way to make your company more memorable after coming in contact with so many.
For the most part, these items are limited to pens, highlighters, lanyards and magnets. Although they serve a purpose (who can’t use a pen?), they’re never examined in great detail once we get home because we probably received multiples of the same dull item.
This gives us the impression that your company is boring, uncreative and resolved to remain unchanged. Gen Yers want to work somewhere more progressive. There are literally thousands of other options you could consider for promotional materials instead.
We want something that we can use, but also something different from the norm. More interesting suggestions include Frisbees, reusable shopping bags, fortune cookies, miniature flashlights, recycled products, USB keys and stainless steel water bottles. When we check out these items again when we get home, we are going to remember who gave them to us and what they said about their company.
Bonus points if the item cleverly refers to your company name, product/service or an initiative you’re undertaking!
No comments:
Post a Comment