TalentMinded

Senior Consultant at Cambridge Consulting Services Jennifer Graham (no relation) frequently presents on how to recruit those notoriously hard-to-hire Millennials. And lucky for us, she’s shared her top tips for finding the best candidates… recruiters and talent acquisition pros, take heed!

Resume SEO

A resume is like a window to the soul. Well, not exactly, but for recruiting purposes, a resume may be the closest you can get to really knowing a candidate before scheduling an interview (though many believe otherwise). Graham said she reminds recent grads to zero in on the right terminology so they can be found in a simple keyword search.

“A lot of HR people are generalists – not specialists in your field – so they don’t thoroughly understand what they’re searching for. All they can do is pop in words, search and hope that they get what they’re looking for,” she said.

For those seeking new talent, it’s important to remember that young job seekers may not have a firm grasp on common job titles and keywords, so don’t let that be your only way of browsing resumes. If you rely solely on SEO, you could miss out on great candidates that haven’t mastered the job search just yet.

Facebook is Fine, LinkedIn is Better

Graham said that while Facebook can work with recruiting, the old-fashioned kind of networking is better. She said Cambridge frequently turns to trade associations to find viable candidates, but LinkedIn groups are also a great source of talent – as long as you know how to use them. To get started, join groups for specialized fields at colleges and universities to find the most relevant profiles.

As for Facebook? Leave candidates alone on the site, as college students and recent grads often treat it as a means of personal communication, not professional.

Know Your Audience

Graham said she routinely advises college candidates to spend time identifying recruiters in their field who specialize in what they do. And that goes both ways.

When casting your recruiting net, be specific in what you’re looking for. Instead of advertising for an “entry-level something,” specify interests a candidate should have, skills they excel in and others they should be prepared to learn. If it’s necessary for the position, don’t hold back. It’s better to have a few best-fit candidates than hundreds of throwaways.

 

Does your organization recruit Millennials? Tell us how you reach the best candidates.

 

Image: Dave Herholz/Flickr