Finding reliable, talented, hard-working employees is a continual challenge for most small business owners. Many will argue that finding reliable, talented, hard-working millennial employees is even more of a challenge. As an owner of a children's business, Kidville Bethesda, I am continually searching for and hiring new millennial employees. I have found the following 5 channels to be most effective:
1.) Facebook - You may be surprised by the response that you will receive if you post a job or inquire about leads on Facebook. Your friends may not be your ideal candidates but their nieces, former employees, neighbors may. Even more effective than your own Facebook page is a millennial's Facebook page. The majority of the employees that I hire are referred from an employee who posted our job opening on their own Facebook page.
2.) LinkedIn - LinkedIn is one of the most underutilized social media channels of this generation; however, it is one of the first channels that most millennials will turn to when job searching. By posting your job needs on LinkedIn you will not only tap into a wide audience of your contacts that are likely different from Facebook, but also, signal to anyone who is targeting your company that you are hiring.
3.) Neighborhood List Serve - It may sound unconventional but your neighbors may have the connection to the millennial crowd that you are looking for -- their kids, grand kids, former employees. Your neighbors may not appreciate continual job postings but it is worth trying for that one position that you are struggling to fill. If your list serve is anything like mine, than you are in no risk of being the most inappropriate poster!
4.) Indeed - I only recently stumbled on Indeed, which has taken the place of craigslist for millennial job seekers. Similar to craigslist, you will get an influx of applications that you will need to filter through but you will likely receive a small percentage of solid leads. Beware when you are setting up your job posting on Indeed, they push their pay per click model which can quickly add up in cost over time.
5.) College Job Boards - Consult your local universities and community colleges on how to post jobs on their job and alumni boards. These boards are consulted regularly by recent and former grads who are eager to find jobs and may just be the right fit for your organization.