Just a couple of weeks ago, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) held their annual conference and expo in Las Vegas. With over two full days of campus and college recruiting sessions, there was much to be learned about attracting and retaining Gen Y talent (as well as tips and tricks to reach candidates of any experience level). Though many believe this topic has been beaten to death, it’s true that entry-level job seekers often use different tools or methods than those with a more substantial resume. And one of the more interesting takeaways came not from an overall session but from a survey response shared by a presenter and researcher on social recruiting, which touched on candidate experience more than anything else.
Creating a Positive Candidate Experience for Millennials
Before we continue, it’s important to let you know that we understand candidate experience is important for all job seekers. This is simply a reflection on the feelings expressed by a recent college grad and how candidate experience is more essential than any new technology or trend out there (unless that technology helps improve the candidate experience, of course).
That being said, here’s a brief synopsis of the session. Mary Scott, founder of Scott Resource Group, was there to present on recruitment best practices. While the presentation covered several interesting points on graduate perceptions of campus career fairs, employer branding and more, the most interesting piece stemmed from a social recruiting survey question. One respondent in particular mentioned that employers should stop spending time and money trying to be present on Facebook and instead hire someone that will respond to applicants.
Getting Back to the Basics
What’s especially interesting about that response is that many talent acquisition professionals tout social media for recruitment as the greatest thing since sliced bread, especially for the “younger” crowd. And while this is not to say it doesn’t have its benefits (because it does), the younger generations are crying out for employers to make more important changes to their application and hiring process. Whether it’s an actual need to hire an extra head to ensure candidates get a response or its time to implement a new system, letting candidates know you care about them – regardless of hire – is critical.
Now it’s your turn to tell us what you think. Do you find this sentiment from a Millennial job seeker surprising, or is it just a rare case of negative feelings?
Image: Keith Ramsey/Flickr
Author: Autumn McReynolds
Autumn McReynolds is a master of communication, and with two years in the recruiting industry and over five years of experience in journalism and content creation, she was thrilled to take her career in a new direction as a Blogger and Content Strategist focused on talent acquisition in the digital age. In addition to writing, Autumn spends her time managing social media accounts for business and pleasure. Follow her on Twitter @AutumnMcRey.
