I invited Adam Nichols to write a post for us today. Adam is an Information Technology enthusiast and a business development executive. He is also a trained HR professional and writes for many blogs including Degree Jungle, a resource for college students.
Over to you, Adam…
For most organizations around the world, the task of attracting new talent as well as retaining quality employees is among the most common business challenges. Lack of loyalty on the part of talented employees and the tendency to switch to companies offering better packages often pose a major problem for most organizations. Furthermore, with overseas competition rising over the years, a good fraction of productive workforce is shifting abroad leading to a gradual shortage of skilled man-power.
In any of these scenarios, one of the best things companies can do is to try and make better use of their corporate sites to attract new college graduates and emerging talents either in this country or abroad. Corporate websites provide information to people regarding the company’s mission, services or products offered, work culture, career growth prospects, achievements and other relevant details. Added to these could be the strategy of using such a web portal to create a sense of interest and admiration among the new generation and to use the opportunity to get highly talented minds hired.
Tips to Attract Generation Y Talents
Whenever a company decides to use its corporate site to lure young and highly talented minds, a systematic approach should be taken. The following are some of the approaches that could be adopted:
Re-launch your corporate site with a press release:
The first thing could be to re-launch your corporate website with a captivating press release. The company can get the press release to as many news channels, article directories and job portals as possible. Job portals especially witness the presence of thousands of new college graduates and other prospective job seekers regularly and is therefore a great place to promote a corporate site. The content of the press release is equally important. It must be characterized by words such as creativity, openness to new and fresh ideas, opportunity for growth, etc. The idea is to make it appealing to highly talented young grads.
Launch an employee blog:
A corporate blog helps to spread news about the company’s new achievements, employee rewards, expansion/growth efforts, market positioning, its culture of openness and innovation, etc. Highly talented minds would want to work with progressive companies that have room to nurture their talents. Therefore, any company that portrays such progressiveness could win their admiration. If they see your company as highly bureaucratic and rigid, you will find it hard to attract them.
Beyond the corporate blog, a good idea is to launch an employee blog that facilitates interaction and sharing of ideas and problems among employees. With sharing of ideas and opinions, new innovations can even emerge. Talented young graduates may find this very attractive since they will know that when they join the company, their opinions will matter.
Add employee testimonials to your corporate site:
Many times, we only see customer testimonials on corporate sites. But if you could add employee testimonials that portray your company as a great place to work, you will get the attention of highly talented young grads. What you can do is to take the testimonials of fulfilled employees who have risen through various ranks in the company. You can then mix these up with young employees who are achieving and rising fast. You can even go to the extent of taking testimonials from the spouses of some employees about the impact the company has made in the employees’ lives. When highly talented graduates see this, they will be impressed with the company and will be willing to join in.
Brand your corporate site in a way that appeals to Generation Y minds:
Branding is simply how your company is positioned in the minds of people. From your products or services to colors, logo, online presence, promotions, and corporate statements, you have already created a brand for your company. If highly talented young graduates don’t find your brand appealing and in vogue, you are likely to repel them. You have to make sure your corporate site is appealing and has all the necessary web 2.0 features such as social bookmarking, social networking, and the like. Your branding should be such that young people will be associating the following words with your corporate site: passion, energy, challenge, creativity, growth, bright ideas, etc.
Though your company may have existed for 100 years, you can still brand your corporate site in a way that will be appealing to highly talented young graduates.
Let it be known on your corporate site that you are seeking for the best and the brightest:
Highly talented young graduates know that they are among the best and are willing to take on new challenges. If they know that your company is looking out for the smartest and brightest minds, they will give you their attention. They also know their worth and would see it as a compliment.
Finally, you must bear in mind that while you can attract highly talented young graduates with these tips, you need to ensure your company culture accommodates such minds. Otherwise, sooner than you can imagine, they will leave.
Thanks Adam!
Lucy is Editor at Corporate Eye
