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4 Ways Corporations are Adopting Startup Culture to Attract Millennials

In Hiring Strategy — by Trakstar

As a large company with many departmental and talent needs, creating a culture that is reminiscent of a startup is no easy feat. Developing the best strategy to grow into a small-feel work environment, however, doesn’t have to be complicated. There are a plethora of articles that explain how a small business can compete with the large organizations; but what can large companies glean from their smaller counterparts? Companies like Cisco and TripAdvisor have mastered the cultural challenges of attracting Millennials across the country through strategic changes to their recruitment marketing.

Tell Your Story

There’s a reason you founded your company. You can use that mission statement and those values to target candidates who fit that cultural mold. Gen Y and the younger Gen Z say that their leaders should exhibit a solid vision (35% and 34% respectively)–second only to honesty (52%) in qualities they value in leadership.

Remember, when attracting Millennial candidates, it’s not entirely about their salary. Millennials want to make a difference and they want to do so through innovation. Modern candidates want innovation and they want to see how that plays a role in your organization. Jill Larsen ( @ChicTalentDiva ), Vice President of Strategic Talent Acquisition at Cisco Systems, said:

“We are working to tell our story in a way that showcases how diverse and compelling our employees and technology are.”

Employer Branding

You’ve solidified your ideal candidate; now you need to attract the candidate. Despite how great your product or service may be, what truly matters in recruitment marketing is your employer brand. What do current employees have to say about the organization? That’s important to pay attention to considering 46% of Glassdoor members read employer reviews when they begin their job search.

Tweet This : Despite how great your product may be, what truly matters in recruitment is your employer brand.

Larsen continues to say that a strong employee brand easily shows the talent pool who your company is, what you expect from employees and what kind of culture you promote. With this information, candidates will immediately understand whether or not they are the missing piece to your company culture and mission. Company culture makes a difference and over half (64%) of employees say they don’t feel their organization has a strong work culture .

Optimize Job Postings

Keep the company lingo out of the job posting as much as possible as 57% of job seekers say they are less likely to apply for a job that includes too much jargon. When you look for a Gen Y candidate, whether the position is a leadership role or entry-level, using company jargon in the job posting can deter even the most qualified candidates. Keep the organizational lingo out of the recruitment process as much as possible.

While SEO is important to making the job ad visible to job seekers, don’t overload it with SEO keywords either. Instead, fill the job posting with phrases and words job seekers are likely to search – this is called semantic search. James Sinclair , business growth consultant for OnSite Consulting, said:

Semantic search creates strong job searches for the employer so it doesn’t take hundreds of clicks to sift through the results.”

Retain and Align Employees

While company perks such as company lunches, game days and company parties are attractive to employees, it’s not the most important aspect of attracting Millennial talent. Lori Russo , Head of Global Talent Acquisition at TripAdvisor, said:

“We don’t let the size of our company dictate how we function.”

Allowing your employees to make an impact on the company is more alluring for Millennials than the chance for free lunches. They would rather have the chance to make an impact on the company; that’s what drives their sense of accomplishment. In fact, 25% of Millennials say their top career goal is to make a positive impact on the organization they work for.

Recruit like a startup and gain employees who will represent the reason you began your company. Applicant tracking systems can help you gain a strong employee brand for today. You can improve overall quality of recruitment with just four tactics: tell the company story, establish a robust employer brand, pay attention to the qualities of the job postings, and ensure employees are aligned with company goals so retention rises. Help your company grow by letting your employees push you to the top, Millennial style.


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