For years now, we've been reading articles on Millennials equivalent to Chicken Little's assertion the sky was falling.  And certainly, it has been fascinating watching how work environments have grown to include 3 generations of employees.  But isn't it time that we retire the old tired Millennial rhetoric?  Should thought leaders and industry insiders still be pushing the tired stereotype of Millennials showing up to work like living breathing versions of the tv show "Workaholics?"It's time to stop the helicopter parenting.  Millennials don't need another lecture on dressing for cultural fit. Instead, knowing that this generation's workers will soon surpass older generations, shouldn't we be easing the transition with more than hackneyed advice on how they should dress to fit in? Shouldn't we instead try to prepare businesses for the eventual cultural shift? And shouldn't we be preparing our recruiters and hiring teams for the best ways in which to recruit Millennials?

Recruiters: Get to Know Your Millennial

Millennials are often characterized like entitled slackers in the working world. It's not hard to think of new younger workers in this vein.  But some of the most innovative and driven business leaders are Millennials.  Certainly, nobody expected a college kid playing around in his dorm one night would create one of the most popular entertainment platforms of our time.  But Mark Zuckerberg did just that and turned Facebook into a billion dollar company.  It's no surprise that given the early exposure to computers and other technology, this generation is highly innovative and technologically advanced. Some of the younger workers in my office build websites for fun in their spare time!

Moreso than their technical prowess and innovation, Millennials are at heart, team players.  Millennials are natural born synergists, preferring collaboration above solo work. They are social, engaged in what they do and eager to work together to achieve a common goal. Even their leadership styles are active and involved!

So why then do we continue to push the same tired rhetoric of spoiled entitled workers?

Adjust Millennial Recruiting Efforts

It's clear that Millennials can bring a wealth of great skills to any company.  But how do recruiters then adjust their recruiting processes to attract more millennial candidates?

• Elevate the candidate experience.  Millennials were raised in the age of computers.  These candidates are information consumers. A strong employer brand includes providing information to its candidates. One great way is to offer video interviews.  In this dedicated branded environment, Millennials can soak up information about the company and collaborate with hiring managers.  This offers the perfect opportunity for these technologically savvy individuals to interact with your organization in a meaningful and innovative environment.
• Reduce time to hire. It seems rather intuitive, but the generation that grew up embracing instant information is used to fast communication.  Lengthy time to hire can turn off a Millennial and discourage them from joining your company. Your recruiting team can solve this dilemma with advanced applicant tracking systems and more dynamic screening tools. These tools can help make the recruiting process much less time consuming and cumbersome.
• Communicate a career path forward. Millennials are just like Baby Boomers.  The older generation is often characterized by a desire for stability.  The truth is, younger generations want to be just as successful in their careers.  They too want to be hired to do a job they love and earn a living. Paint a picture for your Millennial candidate of what their path towards greater compensation and responsibility will look like. To Millennials, this path could be cross-training to learn new skills as easily as it could be a path towards management.

Millennials may be young professionals now, but they'll soon be the managers of your organization. It's time we stopped treating Millennials like children we helicopter parent.  Instead, we can prepare for looming cultural shifts with these simple adjustments to recruiting.