The term Millennial is bandied about quite frequently in the recruitment industry nowadays.
If you need some clarity on it, the Millennial generation is used for professionals who are aged between 22 and 37.
While Generation X is for those aged 38-53, Boomers 54-72 and Silent for 73-90-year-olds.
The reason why Millennials remain one of the hottest topics within the industry is the fact that 50% of the world’s population is under the age of 30.
This is the highest youth population in history.
And while Generation Z contributes to some of this percentage, it’s Millennials aged between 22 and 37 who are hitting their career peaks.
Obviously this is making them extremely important to the global economy.
As a generation, Millennials bridge the gap between the tech-savvy younger generation and practical ways of Generation X.
With this wonderful creative thought process and can do philosophy in mind, more employers can expect innovative changes in the recruitment game moving forward.
In such a competitive environment, Millennials are trying to think outside of the box with their CV applications in a bid to stand out from the crowd.
This is a growing trend you may need to accept and welcome if you want to position your business as a forward-thinking one Millennials will want to work at.
Here are a few things to look out for in 2019 and beyond.
Video CVs
Microsoft Word CVs are a sign of normality – something a Millennial is trying to avoid.
That’s where video alternatives are becoming a bigger alternative many new exciting businesses and agencies are embracing.
If you’re hiring for an internship or for a relatively low experience role, don’t be surprised to get a visual representation of their skills.
The plus point for you is that you’ll be able to analyse a candidate’s personality and make a more informed decision before offering them an interview.
Ultimately, you can cut out the fluff and get current employees to help you decide whether they are a good cultural fit or not.
Ask yourself; are they confident? Do they sound like they know what they are talking about? Are they enthusiastic about the position?
Video CVs are also a lot easier for you to present to senior staff, stakeholders and clients too.
Incorporating this alternative means of an application into your recruitment process can give you a flavour of their creative flair and save you time getting to know them in the first place.
Personal websites and blogs
While a personal website and blog aren’t an alternative for a CV, they are something more candidates are doing in the 21st century.
Take a look on every candidates’ LinkedIn profile to see if there is a link to a personal website or blog.
You’ll not only be able to see how they communicate, but you’ll get an idea about their interests too.
Are they telling the truth on their CV? Are their English skills up to scratch?
Some candidates may present their portfolio in the form of a website as well – which will reveal a lot about their quality of work.
Searching for local blogs within your sector on Google can even help you source out potential candidates too.
After all, I’d hazard a guess to say that you’d rather find a new employee that is passionate about your industry who hasn’t applied for your role, rather than an applicant who has no evident experience or desire to work in your field at all.
YouTube channel
YouTube is becoming a more prominent tool for Millennials to showcase their skills these days.
It enables them to share their passion or expertise on a subject in a video format.
Similar to video CVs, you’ll get the opportunity to see how a candidate presents themselves and the video content itself.
Over the next year, you may start to see more creative, younger Millennials adding links to their CVs to really strengthen their application.
For businesses like yourself, this new trend can almost act as a pre-screening round of interviews.
It'll save you time and resource wasted on interview no-shows and those who don’t quite hit the mark.
Extra business ventures
There’s a certain entrepreneurial spirit to a lot of the Millennial generation.
That means you might discover that a good portion of them may have small ventures running alongside their full-time jobs.
Naturally, you may wonder how they will balance this with their working hours.
However, it’s a sign of wanting to succeed and dedication in equal measure.
These are two traits you probably want to see in abundance.
Providing candidates are clear in explaining how it won’t interfere with their normal working hours, you should be open-minded and let them continue.
This side hustle may even benefit your business too with further experience and contacts gained along the way.
Charity work
Millennials are renowned for kind acts and charitable work.
So if you find it on their CV, you should not only commend them, but ask them about it too.
You’ll then be able to get a better understanding of what drives them.
Whether that’s teamwork, helping others or something more personal to them.
These skills can really help push your business forward via their unequivocal desire to do their best for the sake of others.
Moving forward
The key to appealing to more Millennials is to encourage and embrace these kinds of CV trends.
Do that and you’ll start to see more top professionals taking a real interest in your brand in the future.
To help you streamline the application process further, take a look at our previous blog: '5 Shortcuts to Finding a Brilliant CV in 30 Seconds'.
