Are You Prepared To Recruit The 'Next' Generation?
by Kathy Bornheimer Monday, June 06, 2011
Kathy Bornheimer has over 20 years of experience in recruitment and career coaching. She spent several years recruiting in engineering before migrating to IT professionals. Kathy now puts all of her efforts into her business K.B. & Associates and continues to address employment issues affecting today’s workforce and the workforce of the future. Kathy continues to provide programs, seminars and workshops that are related to employment issues. She is currently affiliated with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Continuing Education Career Transition Center. She serves on the Advisory Board, is one of their career coaches and adjunct instructor.
Full Bio
- Do you remember when the only body part that was pierced was women’s ears?
- How do you develop, maintain or use a “blog” and can you tweet with the best of them?
- Did you participate in Vietnam War protests, or learn about them on the History Channel?
- A candidate says, “Working here would be really fly”; is that good or bad?
- Did you buy your first new car for under $20,000.00?
- What is your tolerance for tats and bling; including grills?
- One of your employees says “I’m going to pick up some nine inch nails. Can I get you something?” Which store is she going to?
- Translate the following text messages; wut up, ttyl, bbl, lol, brb and cul8r.
How you answer these questions determines your readiness to be able to recruit the “Next” Generation. This concept is ever changing since the “Next Generation” is fluid. Previous focus was generation X, then Y with the Millenials and now the Linksters. This is the future workforce born 1988-1996 and currently in high school or recently graduated from college.
Your experience (not including your own children) or exposure to this group will be a factor in your recruiting and hiring of the population. Educational and life experiences from middle to high school and then college influence behaviors, attitudes and work styles of each generation. Start becoming active in the area schools (middle to high school). Find out about the student population, the schools focus and target some of those “diamonds in the rough”. These are the ones that you can mentor and assist through graduation. All it takes is a handful to go through the job shadowing, part time employment and internship (at the college level) to full employment for you to develop a good system. You will be assisting your local schools, community and be able to “try before you buy” a future worker.
Learn about and benefit from this future workforce before your baby boomers retire. Keeping the pipeline full of potential sources for recruitment and affect your business’s financial success.
- How do you develop, maintain or use a “blog” and can you tweet with the best of them?
- Did you participate in Vietnam War protests, or learn about them on the History Channel?
- A candidate says, “Working here would be really fly”; is that good or bad?
- Did you buy your first new car for under $20,000.00?
- What is your tolerance for tats and bling; including grills?
- One of your employees says “I’m going to pick up some nine inch nails. Can I get you something?” Which store is she going to?
- Translate the following text messages; wut up, ttyl, bbl, lol, brb and cul8r.
How you answer these questions determines your readiness to be able to recruit the “Next” Generation. This concept is ever changing since the “Next Generation” is fluid. Previous focus was generation X, then Y with the Millenials and now the Linksters. This is the future workforce born 1988-1996 and currently in high school or recently graduated from college.
Your experience (not including your own children) or exposure to this group will be a factor in your recruiting and hiring of the population. Educational and life experiences from middle to high school and then college influence behaviors, attitudes and work styles of each generation. Start becoming active in the area schools (middle to high school). Find out about the student population, the schools focus and target some of those “diamonds in the rough”. These are the ones that you can mentor and assist through graduation. All it takes is a handful to go through the job shadowing, part time employment and internship (at the college level) to full employment for you to develop a good system. You will be assisting your local schools, community and be able to “try before you buy” a future worker.
Learn about and benefit from this future workforce before your baby boomers retire. Keeping the pipeline full of potential sources for recruitment and affect your business’s financial success.