Understanding Millennial Talent: The Candidate Profile

March 22, 2023

Millennials are the dominating generation in today’s talent market, narrowly beating Gen Z and taking the lead as the next decade’s most qualified professional candidates. They are set apart by their knowledge and familiarity with new technologies and their rising interest in remaining ahead of innovative social and networking opportunities across the digital world. Having this generation in your company ensures a constant flow of innovative ideas and daily practices that modernize the organization.

The term “Millennial”, as well as “Generation Y” refers to those born between 1981 and 1996. These individuals share a very digitally inclined upbringing and are often different from other generations in terms of goals, approach to professional life, and work process. Examining their priorities and preferences can go a long way in painting the perfect candidate profile for an entire generation.

The Millennial sense of self-orientation

People born after 1980 are almost naturally more familiar with new means of communication, media, and digital technology. It comes as no surprise that, on average, Millennial graduates choose tech and IT-related education paths and careers more often than their predecessors. They are used to a fast-paced world with increasingly tech-oriented functions becoming the everyday norm.

Job seeking was different for generations before the Millennials became the overwhelming majority within the global workforce. Now, however, the very idea of printed resumes and door-to-door applications is almost alien to us. These traditional methods have been replaced with all that is digital, Google, and social media like LinkedIn chief among them.

Millennial priorities

The Millennial generation is extremely committed to their potential employer’s image, with a lot of their professional decisions being heavily influenced by the employer’s branding. This aspect comes into play very early on, before an application is even considered.

Unlike earlier generations who prefer a clear and defined hierarchy to the workplace, Millennials prefer a less defined, more open approach to their professional setting. This is a group of individuals that are highly driven by creative freedom, believing that they can only fully use their potential if allowed the freedom to do so.

In this sense, creative freedom to provide and implement their own insights and input takes precedence in priority for Millennials. Things like the salary packages are less important than their freedom. They want to be able to make a difference, so it’s also important that the management team clearly defines milestones and goals for them to follow.

While creative freedom is very important for this demographic, there remains a need for a more modern approach to how work is done. Flexibility in working hours or setting can go a long way in enticing and retaining employees. It’s important to remember that the 9 to 5 mindset isn’t as common anymore, despite the model being maintained for the most part.

Hiring millennials

It’s vital to remember that these individuals prefer to be rewarded based on their results. Millennials are confident and tend to prefer tech and IT roles over other more restricting business roles.

In our experience at JB Hired, we’ve seen that Millennial interest in these roles is a lot higher than any other generation, closely followed by Gen Z in second place. It shows in their performance and innovative approach that they are indeed the best equipped in terms of competence and mindset to not only follow directions but take initiative in further advancing the company’s performance.

To recruit Millennials is to believe that your company is in need of a fresh, young perspective. It isn’t about filling a role anymore, it’s about shaping the operations of the organization on a deeper level than simply following written tasks.

In case you’re looking for qualified talent to help you on this aspect, get in touch with JB Hired and source the talent your digital transformation needs!