Building your company brand to attract Gen Y

In this same new era, we have seen the incessant entrance of the digital-by-default generations in the workplace. They possess entirely different characteristics than other generations – they are incredibly tech savvy yet lack interpersonal communication skills because they tend to be more cautious and security-minded. 

They are also hyper-connected and entrepreneurial, but they lack corporate loyalty unlike the Baby Boomers. These characteristics could eventually lead to executive nightmares unless they are prepared for digital-by-default generations by having the right strategies and tools in hand. 

The truth is, research shows that by 2025 Generation Y will make up 70 per cent of the entire global workforce. Given this condition, organisations need a better understanding of how to attract and retain this emerging talent.

Let’s first be reminded that the workforce we will see in the near future does not only comprise Gen Y, but also include Gen Z and Baby Boomers. Thus, the newly adopted strategies would need to embed a lot of adaptation and flexibility in order to not only attract but retain talent from each generation and manage the multi-generation workforce at the same time. In other words, this means a complete shift in the way employers approach their hiring methods is in order.

In such a circumstance, it is vital to emphasise that the days of organic growth and what we have come to know as the “post and pray” technique – an employer posting a job and waiting for candidates – is over. 

Instead, companies must become an employer of choice in order to source, recruit and retain today’s top candidates, and that is where employer branding comes in. 

Employer branding is about 

 delivering an authentic and compelling experience to candidates and employees alike. It is about building the company’s image and reputation to become the preferred employer. 

It is also about a commitment in changing an organisational culture and a working style that is appealing to both the potential candidates and existing staff. In other words, it is a set of explicit or implicit promises about the working culture, the opportunities it offers, and the way it treats its people.

Now, let’s focus on attracting the younger generations. To do so, organisations need to build their employer brand based on the characteristics of those generations in order to lure the best candidates.

For example, when we say that Generation Y are tech savvy, here are a few examples of incorporating technology into practices that can create a successful employer brand. 

For recruitment: As Gen Y are tech-savvy by nature, they would normally post their resumes and professional qualifications online. Thus, many companies have shifted to have recruitment agencies feed them candidates’ applications throughout the year. 

In addition, organisations should have appropriate recruitment tools and selection procedures in place. For example, the online assessment to evaluate a candidate’s qualifications and knowledge might be used prior to an interview.

Furthermore, by harnessing the potential of social media, such as a programme like LinkedIn, you can build the modern image of your organisation, and doing so will also let you manage your employer profile at a much cheaper and quicker pace than ever before.

Yet, it is worth noting that although the new generations could be easily attracted by an appealing employer brand through the attractive images of their work environment as well as their striking blurbs on compensation and benefits posted online, they would have absolutely no problem in changing jobs without hesitation if the reality doesn’t live up to what they expected from the brand promises.

In other words, you need to make sure your organisation truly values what you are trying to promote and is not just paying lip service, because the potential of social media might eventually backfire on you given its speed and viral power.

These are just a few tips of how you can build an attractive brand for generation Y by incorporating technology. There are still many other aspects to consider in order to fully become a successful employer brand – namely social responsibility, open community and the opportunities for companies to develop.

In short, by building an employer brand or becoming an employer of choice, organisations can benefit from candidates coming to a company themselves when he or she is seeking a job. But in order to reap such benefits, the first step, which is essentially the indispensable step, centres on the need for employers to acquire a fuller understanding of the younger generations’ motivations and attitudes so that they can position their brands and what they offer accordingly. 

 

Chavalid Worrasanpisutis a branding director at APMGroup. You can contact him at [email protected]