by Michelle Morra
Recruitment has changed. In the past the process was fairly one-sided, whereby job-seekers were interviewed by headhunters and HR people. While that of course still happens today, the millennial being recruited has just as many questions—Why do you want me in this company? What will be my key responsibilities? Is there a chance for me to be promoted? What technology will I be using?
Some companies might find it hard to adapt to this new mentality, but Yves Devin, Adjunct Professor, HEC Montréal suggests it’s well worthwhile. “[Millennials] are the ones that will usually be the first ones to propose new ways to do things, and to teach the older people new technologies.” That, he says, is why a proper environment that appeals to this demographic “will be a very, very good asset.”
How to make millennial workers happy? In many ways they’re just like boomers. They want to be involved and know what’s going on. They want to be part of the process and have a say. “But they need a lot of recognition on a daily basis—more so than boomers,” Devin says. “They need for you to say they’re doing a good job. They also want to work with their peers, not alone.”
Besides teaching, Devin coaches businesses in his role of President, Groupe Conseil Devin Inc., where one of his many goals is to help improve communication between different generations of workers. The companies that succeed best, he says, tend to communicate best with all employees about what they are responsible for, and whom they are accountable to. “It’s very funny to find out that most don’t take the time to make it clear.”
While Millennials prefer to use technology for everything, Devin says, they need to learn that actually talking to the more senior workers can be a valuable experience. Helping one generation work with another, teaching them to share their knowledge and values, is a specialty of Devin’s. “I’m very proud to say that we have a lot of success with this, not only with succession planning but with all aspects of business,” he says.
Published in Canadian Real Estate Forum