Truth in advertising vs. telling them what they want to hear: A recruiter’s dilemma
Posted On July 29, 2014
The Millennial workforce rivals Boomers in size, but not necessarily in availability. This creates an interesting conundrum for recruiters. While there should be more supply than demand (and in some industries there certainly is), companies are still competing hard for the best talent.
Those with traditional business models, such as public accounting, are particularly at odds with the Millennials’ more relaxed approach to work. How do you entice with promises of work-life balance in a business with a “busy season” that has young employees averaging 60+ hour work-weeks? Very carefully.
Maybe the balance isn’t about the number of hours worked each week, but rather about the flexibility of time within the parameters of the job all year. What does work hard, play hard mean? Have you created an environment where someone who wants to come in early can also leave early (or vice versa) in order to fit personal commitments in with job requirements? Campus recruiting should use such concrete examples. Generic terms such as “work-life balance” are apt to be interpreted quite differently by someone who has been in the 9-5 workforce for decades and one who has only lived a student life. Bold promises may bring them in the door, but if the reality doesn’t match, they’ll be scheduling an exit interview before too long.