People Answers Generation Y Employees

8/7/2019 People Answers Generation Y Employees

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PeopleAnswers White Paper

1 ___________________________________PeopleAnswers, Inc.

14185 Dallas Parkway, Suite 550Dallas, TX 75254

URL: www.PeopleAnswers.comPh: 214-445-2168

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Attracting Generation Y Employees

Who, what, how and why? Who is the new generation that is

penetrating the job market like no other since the baby boomers?

What is it that they are looking for, what are they attracted to? Howdoes one even go about finding, sourcing, or employing them? And

why are they so critical to drive success within retail stores?

Much has been written about the new generation, Generation Y, but

seemingly very little is known of them, outside of being culturallydiverse, brand motivated, and technically savvy1. Generation Yrepresents those that have been born between 1979 and 1990 and

are, therefore, still in the infancy in the employment world. The first

batch has only just made it into corporate America, and corporateAmerica is still trying to understand them, particularly in regards to

motivation and expectations. What is clear, though, is that as this

generation grows up, so must our ability as HR professionals to beable to locate, recruit, and retain them.

Locating them may be the easiest of all three. In fact, locating

Generation Y may be easier than locating any other generation beforethem. Generation Yers are renowned for their technical abilities and

their omni-presence online. Every researcher into this generation willtell you that the Internet has replaced the television, billboards,

magazines, and radio as the dominant medium for communication2and more and more businesses are tailoring their advertising,

marketing, and recruiting efforts to this. In Lachnits (2002) article on

recruiting Generation Y, Brent Inman, Leader of US College Recruitingat PricewaterhouseCoopers, confirms this shift by saying that the Web

is the primary vehicle for a recruitment campaign because, to thisgeneration, the Web is radio, TV, newspaper, entertainment, and

information all rolled up into one.

And there are statistics to match. More and more, the Internet is

becoming the place to look for jobs. As of mid-2002, over 52 millionAmericans used the Internet to find job related information and 61%of those where Generation Yers3. Companies are responding by

creating stand-alone websites and custom career portals. In 1999,

29% of the Global 500 had a career website, and by 2001, thatnumber had already rocketed to 89%4. Clearly, the Internet has taken

the hunt for jobs out of the newspapers and away from walk-ins and

1Chester, E., (2002), Employing Generation Why?, Lachnit , C. (2002) Going forGeneration Y, Neuborne E., and

Kerwin, K., (1999) Generation Y2Avrin, D (2002) The Who, What, and How of Gen-Why Employees, Burke, M.E., (2004) Generational

Difference Survey Report, Chester, E. (2002) Employing Generation Why?3Hunt, S.T., & Handler C. A. (2003) Online Staffing Assessment Tools: Using Technology to Increase Staffing

Efficiency and Effectiveness4Hunt, S.T., Handler C. A., (2003) Online Staffing Assessment Tools: Using Technology to Increase Staffing

Efficiency and Effectiveness


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TheTheTheThe InternetInternetInternetInternet

drasticallydrasticallydrasticallydrastically

increases theincreases theincreases theincreases the

number ofnumber ofnumber ofnumber of

potentialpotentialpotentialpotential

applicants thatapplicants thatapplicants thatapplicants that

will have access towill have access towill have access towill have access to

your positions,your positions,your positions,your positions,

wwwwhich brihich brihich brihich brings withngs withngs withngs with

itititit many of itmany of itmany of itmany of itssss

own problemsown problemsown problemsown problems

As any retailerAs any retailerAs any retailerAs any retailer

will tell you,will tell you,will tell you,will tell you,

quantityquantityquantityquantity is not ais not ais not ais not a

substitute forsubstitute forsubstitute forsubstitute for

quality, so thequality, so thequality, so thequality, so thetrick quicklytrick quicklytrick quicklytrick quickly

becomesbecomesbecomesbecomes

establishing aestablishing aestablishing aestablishing a

seamless,seamless,seamless,seamless,

effeffeffefficient, andicient, andicient, andicient, and

responsiveresponsiveresponsiveresponsive

processprocessprocessprocess

toward a more virtual and seamless application process.

Not only has the Internet commoditized the job search process, but ithas also dramatically altered the application process, and for both

parties. Candidates, particularly Generation Yers, can apply for four

times the number of positions than they could in the same time period just walking round the mall. Also, the Internet has dramaticallyenlarged the candidate population or pool. Recent statistics show that

in the US alone there are over 130 million at-home Internet users 5, all

of whom have access to job postings online. Of course, you will neverhave that many applicants, but the point is simply that the Internet

drastically increases the number of potential applicants that will have

access to your positions, which brings with it many of its ownproblems.

The retail sector is one in which applicant volume is most notable.

Here, the need for hourly store associate positions coupled withsystemic turnover often creates an overwhelming quantity ofapplicants. As any retailer will tell you, quantity is not a substitute for

quality. Therefore, it is critical to establish a seamless, efficient andresponsive process for sifting through applicants and finding the rightones, while at the same time enabling the candidate to apply with

ease.

Enter the screening tool. This is not the forum to debate the varyingand myriad types of screening tools in the marketplace. But rather, to

identify an effective system that will enable the applicant and the

employer to reach agreeable ends. The applicant, particularly theGeneration Yers, want a simple, responsive, and informed application

process that will enable them to quickly and seamlessly apply for a

position and understand what steps to expect next.6

The employer, for the most part, wants the same thing, but with

optimization: a simple, easy-to-use, and responsive tool that willprioritize potential top performers both skill-wise, behaviorally, andculturally, and enable them to contact the right candidate immediately.

In other words, the employer needs a tool that will screen out

potential risks, and quickly identify those that will perform well in theirbusiness, while the candidate wants to know that their application will

be taken seriously, and if there is a fit, will be contacted quickly

7

.

5Kerner, S. M. (2004) Active Internet Users by Country, Sept 2004

6Hacker, C. (2003) Recruiting and Retaining Generation Y and X Employees

7Chester, E. (2002) Employing Generation Why?, Martin, C. & Tulgar B. (2001) Managing Generation Y, Moran

G. (2003) Succeed With the Soft Stuff


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That is theThat is theThat is theThat is the

reason they arereason they arereason they arereason they are

called Generationcalled Generationcalled Generationcalled Generation

Y, because theyY, because theyY, because theyY, because they

cannotcannotcannotcannot stopstopstopstop

asking why. Andasking why. Andasking why. Andasking why. And

can you blamecan you blamecan you blamecan you blame

themthemthemthem????

In a sampling ofIn a sampling ofIn a sampling ofIn a sampling of

20,000 plus20,000 plus20,000 plus20,000 plus

assessments,assessments,assessments,assessments,

clientsclientsclientsclients

experienced anexperienced anexperienced anexperienced an

assesassesassesassessmentsmentsmentsment

completion racompletion racompletion racompletion ratetetete

above 90%above 90%above 90%above 90%

And quickly is the key word for both parties here. Generation Yershave grown up in an instant and real-time world, where dinner is

frequently made within 45 seconds in a microwave, and news is

delivered right to their virtual doorstep, not just at six and nineoclock8. Furthermore, it has already been noted that they are

technically savvy and expect exchanges to happen online, and they

expect that from their employers as well9.

What they also expect from their employers is commitment,

immediacy, the opportunity to succeed, and most importantly,

information10. After all, that is the reason they are called GenerationY, because they cannot stop asking, Why? And can you blame

them? In their lifetime, they have seen presidents lie, sports heroes

become adulterers or drug addicts, and skyscrapers come crashingdown around them. All of this can lead to many whys.

And this is critical to address when recruiting Generation Yers.

Questions such as Why should I work for your company? or Why isyour opportunity better than the opportunity down the street? mustbe addressed at every pointon the website, in the job description, in

the application process, prior to the screening questions orquestionnaire, and during the interview process11. If you cant answerthese questions, it is unlikely that you will effectively recruit

Generation Yers.

Case study data helps to further highlight this point. In a recentsampling of 20,000+ assessments, clients of PeopleAnswers, an online

behavioral assessment, experienced an assessment completion

rate above 90%, with 63% of those people contributing optionaldemographic data. Of that 63%, almost 70% of them were under 40

years of age.

These are great statistics for any assessment process, but they do notcome without answering the questions cited above. PeopleAnswers

ensures that all candidates are educated in the assessment processprior to commencing the assessment. All candidates know how longthe assessment will take to complete, why they are taking the

assessment, and how it fits within the "people strategy" of the

administering business. This exchange of information is the only wayto organize any kind of screening process at the very front of a

recruitment lifecycle.

8Chester, E. (2004) Creating Family-Like Loyalty

9Lachnit, C. (2002) Going for Generation Y

10Chester, E. (2004) Creating Family-Like Loyalty, Martin, C. & Tulgar, B. (2001) Managing Generation Y

11Chester, E. (2002) Employing Generation Why?


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If doneIf doneIf doneIf done

effectively, it caneffectively, it caneffectively, it caneffectively, it can

introduceintroduceintroduceintroduce

someone to asomeone to asomeone to asomeone to a

company andcompany andcompany andcompany and

emphasizeemphasizeemphasizeemphasize a reala reala reala real

focus on thefocus on thefocus on thefocus on the

people equationpeople equationpeople equationpeople equation

That exchange of communication drives the ability to screen out, orscreen in, candidates, and to begin the hiring process with aconsistent, technology-friendly application. Remember, Generation

Yers are talented, educated, techno-savvy, open-minded, service-oriented young people,12 people who can drive real performance in abusiness. But dont forget that Generation Xers and Baby Boomers

may also be applicants, and must be able to use the same recruitment

process as the Yers. You must be careful not to make your applicationprocess so technically advanced as to alienate the previousgenerations.

Remember, for employers and all applicants, regardless of generation,a recruitment process must be efficient, informative, easy, and

accurate. If done effectively, it can introduce someone to a company

and emphasize a real focus on the "people equation." It sends the

message that the people being considered are integral to the business,so much so that technology and screening are used to find those that

best match the culture and behavior of the business. The priority forboth parties is to find the right opportunity for their respective needs,and to find them quickly. Using a screening product that is customized

to the hiring environment will only expedite that process, and pacify

the whys of the Generation Yers and their future employers.

Ira Grossman is Vice President of Operations at PeopleAnswers, and Oliver Yates is aBusiness Development Manager at PeopleAnswers. The company is the leading providerof web-based behavioral assessment solutions allowing for efficient and methodicalselection and development of top performers at all professional, managerial, and

customer-facing levels of the enterprise.

PeopleAnswers gives you unparalleled insight into job applicants and existingemployees. Our software compares an individuals Behavioral DNA against ourvalidated Best Practice Profiles or against a companys own custom-developedPerformance Profile. PeopleAnswers software determines the specific behavioral traitsin a group of existing top-performing employees and uses these traits to seek newapplicants, thereby filling a companys roster with the best and brightest. Clients includeNeiman Marcus, HSBC, Michaels Stores, Macys, and Hilton Hotels.

For more information on PeopleAnswers, visitwww.PeopleAnswers.com.

12Martin, C. & Tulgar, B. (2001) Managing Generation Y

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People Answers Generation Y Employees