According to Pew, it’s estimated that there are are 75.2 million Millennials in the United States this year; by 2020, this Millennial population (those between the ages of 18 years and 34 years) is projected to make up half of the overall working population. To keep on pace with this growth in both demand and availability, companies need to adapt their strategies to optimize the recruitment of Millennials. Luckily, there are a lot of great resources out there that enable companies large and small to recruit Millennials.
In 2015, it was approximated that 43 percent of Millennials were or are actively searching for a new job. While it can be expected that many likely considered jobs at startups, many more considered positions at companies and organizations falling outside the boundaries of the startup world. We reached out to various companies and asked them for their recommendations on the best places to recruit Millennials. Whether that involved targeting specific online job boards or hitting up college campuses, we wanted to know the best places where companies can recruit Millennials.
Here are the best places to recruit Millennials for your company, according to the companies below – some may even surprise you.
AngelList
“When looking for great hires we have typically found a lot of success hiring from AngelList, a startup-focused website where investors, job-seekers, and entrepreneurs meet. The reason this is a great resource is most people looking for jobs on the site want to work in the startup environment and are usually young, hungry, and have a few years of experience under their belt.” – Joseph Nagle, Director of Marketing at EverCharge
“We have found that the best place to find highly-motivated, qualified, Millennial candidates with some experience is via LinkedIn. We prefer it to campus recruiting and larger job boards because of the wide range of talent available on LinkedIn; we find both candidates who are actively looking, as well as those who are more opportunistic. These individuals, in particular, do not spend time at career fairs or large job sites. They network and look for innovative startups that meet their criteria across industry, growth, compensation, culture, and values. We have found a combination of drive and humility that ensures the action-orientation and results that a startup requires, as well as the positive team environment that makes a good startup great.” – Seline Karakaya, Chief Operating Officer at The Kini Group
Previous Interns
“We’re fortunate that we’re a startup in a hot technology space – chat messaging – and that seems to help attract millennials to us. For full-time hires, we’re more focused on finding the right skill set and team fit. For our intern program, though, we found our interns through word-of-mouth recommendations from previous interns.” – Toshi Yamamoto, CEO and Founder of ChatWork
Facebook, Twitter, and Even Instagram
“Social media is a great tool for recruiting Millennials. Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are essentially free job boards with a huge Millennial audience. In addition to your own social media accounts, ask a few friends to post your job openings and you’ll quickly reach a large group of people.” – Avi Kahan, Cofounder of InviteUp
School Websites
“School websites are a great resource for finding Millennials. In Silicon Beach, nearby schools such as USC and UCLA have excellent tools for recruiting online and Rufus Labs has seen a wealth of applicants through these portals. For startups like us, we don’t always have the resources to attend career fairs or travel to meet potential new team members. Oftentimes, students and Millennials are so busy that it makes more sense to have it be flexible – apply, meet, and talk to us when it’s convenient.” – Gabe Grifoni, CEO and Cofounder of Rufus Labs
On-Campus Events
“In past research I’ve learned that on campus recruiting is an effective tactic for recruiting Millennials, but there are opportunities to increase engagement that many recruiters miss. Beyond the simple info session or college fair there is a dynamic social life on campus. Effective recruiters engage millennials in frats, business clubs, classes, workshops, and other hubs or on-campus social life. Another finding from my work is that recruitment messages are more effective when they are delivered by Millennials.” – Brandon Shockley, Qualitative Researcher at Plannerzone
Hosted or Sponsored Events
“Don’t be the lame startup that gets a table during convo hour. Instead be the startup that sponsors the school hackathon or video game tournament. I guarantee if you ask around during your event you’ll find some people interested in tech and can help you build your business. Use these events as opportunities to grow your network and your team.” – Sean Higgins, Cofounder of ilos
College Professors
“Establish relationships with local college and university professors in the departments where your ideal future employees are enrolled. This helps because professors literally have first-hand experience with Millennials and can attest to their work ethic.” – Dahcia Lyons, VP of Strategy at Boogie
Need more ways to recruit Millennials? Check out this free guide on how to recruit and retain Millennials. Or post a job on Tech.Co’s very own job board!