50% percent of the workforce will be millennials by 2020, according to a PWC report. This implies millennials will outrun the baby boomers in the forthcoming years by a huge margin. While the stats are a testament to the ever-changing landscape of the workforce set up, it also indicates that now you need to roll up your sleeves if you want to keep up with the changing workforce dynamics.

The first step in this direction would be to craft recruiting strategies to hire millennials. To achieve this, strategies need to be in alignment with the expectations of the coming stream of millennials. While creating strategies, make sure to play by their rules. And for millennials, tech is the new rule.

Therefore, you must position technology at the heart of your workforce action plan. From sourcing to hiring to post-hiring processes, every step must utilize tech to optimize the hiring efficiency. The more you’re inclined towards tech practices, the higher are the chances of recruiting millennials in your company.

Although, easier said than done, integrating tech into your recruiting processes can be daunting if you don’t know where to start. Below we have jotted down four must-follow tech practices that are easy to start with and guarantee you high ROI in the longer run.

1. Register on Online Job Portals and Sites

There’s no dearth of talent in the world but to find one you must look at the right places. Online job portals and sites are the right places for recruiters and candidates. These sites bridge the gap between recruiters and candidates by placing both on the same platform. Millennials are extensively utilizing these platforms to search for career opportunities.

According to LinkedIn stats, 60% of people use online job boards whereas 56% use social networks. Success of online job portals can be easily estimated by these thriving numbers of candidate applications these portals accumulate every day.

Thus, to search and hire millennials, online job sites and portal is your first stop. Before registering on these platforms, categorize your candidate requirements as per your business needs. Once done, pick portals or sites that align with the requisite needs.

For instance, if you’re looking for permanent hires, make use of the below platforms.

• Monster
• Indeed
• CareerBuilder
• Glassdoor
• Google

Whereas in the case of contingent workers, use

• Upwork
• TaskRabbit
• Pro Finder
• Fiverr
• Gig walk

If you aim to hire diverse talent then you can also refer to,

• Diversity.com for black and minority talent
• Black Jobs for African American community
• Fairygodboss for female candidates at all skill levels
• PowerToFly for women, trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming tech talents
• PinkJobs for a range of highly skilled LGBT community talent
• VetJobs for former Military, National Guard, Reserve Component Members and veterans
• RecruitMilitary for veterans from all different backgrounds

2. Build Online Presence

Social Media and Website

Social media has emerged to be more than a mere platform to network and communicate. Today it’s widely being used to assimilate knowledge about people, initiatives, and emerging trends. This plethora of information has eased the process of background checks for companies and recruiters. In fact, today 70 percent of employers use social media to screen candidates before hiring.

But social media is a double-edged sword.

Apart from companies, millennials as well are utilizing social platforms to vet companies before taking up an offer. According to stats, 79% of job applicants use social media in their job search.

Unlike baby boomers, maximum millennials today are conscious about their choices and passionate about their work. For millennials, the most important factors in accepting a new job are compensation (49%), professional development (33%), and better work/life balance (29%). Thus, before associating with any company, millennials are highly likely to visit your company site and social pages to scrutinize company believes, work style, progress opportunities, incentives, the company’s working culture and more.

So, to hire millennials you must ensure to have an authentic and transparent online presence over all the social media platforms.

To start with, voice your brand story – inception and success stories – on LinkedIn and Facebook, these channels entice myriads of working millennials. Upon setting up a loyal follower base on these platforms, you can slowly stretch your brand presence to Instagram and Twitter– both platforms garner a slew of millennials.

If you’re a third-party recruiter, then thoroughly research about the client before taking up recruiting assignments. Companies with no or tampered online footprint immediately raise the red flag.

Company Review Portals

Apart from tracking company activities, a substantial factor that influences a candidate’s decision is company review portals namely Glassdoor, Google and Facebook. Even if your company has a legit online presence, but the online reviews say the contrary, there are high chances that the candidates are never coming back. To avoid any such damage, you must keep a tab on all your online traces and perform timely damage control, if needed.

3. Deploy ATS to Improve Candidate Experience

Quality Screening

Applicant Tracking System (ATS) undoubtedly speeds up your time-to-hire. But in addition to benefiting internally, it’s a magnet to hire millennials. 60% of millennials prefer text engagement instead of calls. Integration of ATS in the recruitment process aptly caters to this aspect of the millennial experience.

Modern ATS systems go beyond submitting resumes, it asks relevant questions that help the candidate understand the job role and vice versa. It gives them time to gauge job requirements and thoughtfully answer questions that are otherwise difficult to articulate over the telephonic screening interviews.

Constant Process Updates

With mobile in their hands and internet connectivity just a tap away, millennials want to remain on top of everything, especially when they’re invested in the process.

ATS serves millennials’ curious side by keeping them in the know of the ongoing recruiting process – from resume screening to interview feedback to final onboarding. It sends notification and alerts to keep candidates updated about any development in the process – even if they’re not hired. This helps to build a seamless candidate experience and a positive company reputation.

4. Facilitate Video Interviews

Circling in loops to schedule an interview frustrates millennials especially when there’s a digital, timesaving and cost-saving alternative present in the market. Millennials are tech freaks and any company that doesn’t embrace technology immediately raises an alarm

Conducting video interviews may sound trivial at first but while to hire millennials, it is crucial. Stats also suggests that 57% of candidates prefer live video interviews over other channels. There are several tech applications available online that allow you to conduct professional interviews through mobile phones such as Skype, TeamViewer, Google Duo and more.