In the war for talent companies are going to great lengths to win over skilled professionals, but more competitive still, is the contest for promising young talent – the so called ‘digital natives’. In order to find and recruit their target audiences, employers are developing new ways to source candidates on a more ‘personal’ level. Talent Community is the term given to an online collective formed specifically for job seekers, employers and recruiters to interact together on the same level.

How a Talent Community Works

As opposed to a talent pool, which is essentially a database of candidates kept by an employer, a talent community is an online environment in which people can interact and exchange thoughts and information. This allows professionals, students, employers, hiring managers, ex-employees etc to communicate over a common topic, in this case, career networking. A talent community is generally organised by a hiring manager, employer or recruiter, therefore they are able to get to know prospective employees and are able to hand pick candidates from a community of promising talent. The key to a talent community is that all parties are engaged in communication, as opposed to talent pools which are comparatively one sided.

The Benefits of a Talent Community

Because of the nature of a Talent Community candidates and employers are able to converse on an equal level. If well conducted, this can boost an employer image and make them a favorable choice for prospective employees. A talent community builds itself organically via social networking, with new member being invited or added by existing users. This benefits hiring managers as they are automatically put into contact with prospective talent via word of mouth. The process of hiring via talent communities is not only mutually beneficial (all members opt in willingly) but it saves time and money for the employer. It removes the cost of advertising, and generally offers a higher quality candidate.

How a Talent Community is Made

1. The Platform

For most companies the easiest way to create a talent community is via a social networking channel such as Facebook. By creating a closed group they can form an invite-only page that will allow people of similar interests to interact. Alternatively, the corporate career page is also a good area to form a talent community, as it directly markets to those who have an active interest in joining the company.

2. Members

A talent community thrives on like-minded people. Companies can quickly build an engaged network by inviting existing employees and professional contacts to join the group. The group can then grow through word of mouth referrals. Employers can further source members whilst, for example, participating at jobs fairs or networking events. Employers can encourage member participation by initiating interesting discussions and posting regular updates.

3. Talent Community Maintenance

Maintenance is the key to a successful talent community. The HR manager or employer in charge must regularly contribute to discussions, post behind-the-scenes information or otherwise interesting material to maintain engagement. For large talent communities with many participants it is also useful to create sub-groups for members to expand on specific discussions.

Talent Community Considerations

A talent community can only really be effective if it is of real interest to it’s members. It thrives on audience participation, and therefore must be engaging. The HR manager, employer or recruiter in charge of maintaining the talent community must therefore contribute with regular interesting material. Encouraging employees to add their own friends is also vital for growth.

What Is E-Recruiting?

Today’s recruiters are striking where the majority of Generation Y reside – the internet. The rapid rise of digital technology, and it’s popularity amongst the younger demographics, has created a new form of recruitment via the web. This technique, generally referred to as e-recruiting or online recruitment, essentially conveys the computer or web-based search for potential employees.

Where does E-Recruiting take place?

Fortunately for recruiters there are a number of online platforms to find and attract candidates, beginning with job boards. Monster and StepStone are two of the most popular online employment sites on the web, allowing millions of job seekers and employers to find each other every month. With billions of users logging in everyday, social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are rapidly rising in the recruitment realm, particularly for those on the hunt for younger demographics. Last but not least however, the majority of corporate websites now include a career section, in which candidates can search and directly apply to open positions. According to a recent study 87% of vacancies are now published on corporate websites, 61% are advertised on employment sites and only 20% in printed media.

How is E-Recruiting accessed?

With the use of technology such as smartphones, tablets, laptops and the like, today’s candidates can search and apply for jobs online virtually 24/7. Most employment websites have mobile apps for smartphone users, and naturally all of the leading social platforms are accessible via mobile. Naturally, desktop computers are still the original and most popular tool used for the online job search as well as the favored tool for recruiters to post ads.

The Benefits of E-Recruiting

The numerous possibilities of e-recruiting offer a number of advantages to applicants and employers alike. Online recruiting has streamlined the recruitment process by increasing the range of jobs available, making it easier for candidates to apply for work, and for recruiters to receive applications. Web-based searches allow candidates to search specifically for jobs in their field, and quickly apply within a few steps. Recruiters on the other hand, can also set pre-defined criteria which will automatically organise incoming applications, making it easier for them to choose the right candidates. Essentially, E-Recruitment saves both parties time and money by eliminating the need for lengthy application processes, paper applications and man hours.

E-Recruiting with Softgarden

Asides from being able to post ads simultaneously to numerous online employment sites, university and college career pages etc, softgarden can assist companies in creating their own job market on their corporate website and social media channels. Additionally the softgarden social recruiting tool ‘jobs-for-friends’ is another program available, which enables employers to recruit online through their existing staff networks. See the softgarden website for more details.

Where do talent pool candidates come from?

When a candidate is interested in a company, but for various reasons is unable to apply for a position, most modern-day employers now offer the applicant the chance to join the talent pool. This would occur, for example, if the candidate currently lives abroad, or is not fully qualified for the role. In the case of the latter, the candidate may be ideal for a different position in the company at a later date. The same goes for candidates who fall short of an offer, often those who did not get the position for one reason or another, are perfect for a different role in the company and therefore worth being kept in a talent pool.

The Benefits of Talent Pools

Talent pools save employers time and money. The cost per hire per candidate is dramatically reduced, since the employer doesn’t need to advertise externally or pay for any additional recruitment fees. Because the candidates are ready and waiting in the talent pool, the employer saves time on screening CVs – all they need to do is pick candidates for interview.This process is beneficial to the candidates too, as they are automatically given the opportunity to apply for job at the company that they are interested in. In this way, talent pools also boost employer branding as candidates naturally develop a positive opinion of the company that remembered them.

Other aspects of Talent Pools

Talent pools naturally mean that employers are storing personal details and therefore data protection policies must be put into place to comply with the law. It is common to offer candidates the option of opting out every few months. Those who do so have their information permanently deleted, and employers know that the remaining candidates are still available. Staying in touch with candidates is also important in forming a good employer image, personalized emails are a common way to stay in touch with and keep potential employees in the loop.

Potential Drawbacks of Talent Pools

If a talent pool is not kept up to date then it can end up storing details in vain. Talent pools require a certain amount of maintenance in order to fulfill their function. Employers may otherwise be left with a list of useless contacts, or they may unintentionally hold private data beyond the legal limit. When writing to candidates it is important not to inadvertently ‘spam’ them with pointless emails, just to stay in touch. This can be very detrimental to an employer brand, and will ultimately go against the purpose of the talent pool.

softgarden and Talent Pools

softgarden software offers employers the option to pre-screen applicants with automatic filters, which divide candidates into appropriate talent pools. This is primarily in order to aid initial selection when a vacancy becomes available and can be particularly useful when a company is advertising for multiple roles and/or are dealing with a large number of applicants.

See the softgarden website for more details on forming talent pools.

What Does Talent Management Encompass?

Essentially talent management refers to the long-term procedures that business put into place in order to sustain a skilled workforce. This includes their existing employees as well as outside candidates. Generally a HR manager will be in charge of talent management, and will make sure that the company is effectively sourcing, recruiting and maintaining skilled staff members. It is common practice to put retention strategies into place in order to keep key employees within the company, as well as developing ways to generate new talent.

How Does Talent Management Work?

Talent management encompasses both internal and external recruitment planning and processes. As mentioned, this can apply to the retention of key employees – the individuals who offer the most in terms of skill and productivity. More often than not they are relatively high up in the company and therefore key to the success of the business. Talent management of key employees can include staff development training, and engagement techniques such as unique job perks and bonuses. New talent can either be active sourced in preparation for future vacancies, or otherwise recruited using a number of modern day recruitment methods.

Talent Management Strategies

Talent Management requires the HR manager or employer to initially ask themselves how they can improve their recruiting system, then implementing strategies that will optimize the process: Some of those talent management techniques are as follows:

•  Staff retention, strategies to retain key employees
• Active sourcing, to search for previously undiscovered or passive talent
• Talent pools, a database of potential candidates to contact when a position opens
• Talent communities, an online environment to generate a more ‘personal’ form of talent pool

All of these talent management processes are competency-based techniques which save employers time and money as well as generating talent.

What Are The Benefits of Talent Management?

By appointing a HR manager or team to analyse and streamline recruitment tactics, business can not only find and retain employees – but they generate a better quality of candidate. Active sourcing, talent pools and talent communities are all designed to filter out the cream of the crop ahead of time. This means when a vacancy becomes available, it can quickly be filled with a skilled candidate. These talent management strategies (as well as the maintenance of key employees) save valuable time and money – whilst generating the best candidates.

Talent Management and softgarden

softgarden software can assist a business with their talent management techniques by streamlining their recruitment process. The softgarden application tracking system makes it simple for companies to set up candidate pools with pre-defined criteria. The applicants will automatically be placed in the relevant pools, which make it easier for recruiters to pick the right talent. Candidates can also opt to stay in the talent pools, in case of future job opportunities.

softgarden software also allows for multi posting to mainstream job boards, corporate career sites, and social networking channels. This enables companies to reach a wider audience, as well as specific target groups such as the aforementioned ‘digital natives’ who predominantly search for work online, and increasingly via social networking. See the softgarden website for more information on how we can help you with your with talent management.

What is Active Sourcing?

Active Sourcing essentially means the active search for promising candidates, before the need to fill a position has arisen. This involves, for example, recruiters establishing contact with promising candidates at university events, recruitment fairs, networking seminars etc and maintaining ties with those potential employees in preparation for an open position. By building up these relationships over time, employers not only increase their chance to quickly fill vacancies, but they’re able to choose from a high standard of pre-selected candidates.

How does Active Sourcing work?

Regardless if a candidate is already employed, studying or passive, recruiters are establishing contact and maintaining skilled candidates in talent pools for possible future employment. As before mentioned, university events, recruitment fairs etc are often used to initiate this contact, however social networking is rapidly becoming the favored option for modern day recruiters. With billions of users each, social networks like Facebook, Twitter, XING and LinkedIn are providing an ideal platform for recruiters to find and contact potential employees for their talent pools.

What are the difficulties of the Active Sourcing?

Active souring offers recruiters new possibilities but also has it’s fair share of difficulties. Maintaining contact with candidates must be conscientiously done, in order to maintain positive relationships. More often than not, an employer will contact their candidates via email. A target-specific, personalized mail will generally be positively received, a copy-and-paste will not. Active sourcing at public events presents its own challenges too. Networking events generally hold a lot of competition, and employers have to regularly think of new tactics to attract their audiences. In both cases, thorough background research and conscientious target marketing will aid employers in successful active sourcing.

What are the advantages Active Sourcing?

Active sourcing saves time in the long run, and will almost certainly produce a better quality of candidate. Active sourcing does initially require a considerable amount of man hours but it pays off by ensuring that a position is immediately filled instead of employers having to wait weeks, or even months for the right candidate to appear. The existing ties between employer and candidate also means that recruiters eventually spend less time sifting through CV’s or interviewing, because they already know their applicants.

How does Active Sourcing benefit candidates?

Asides from the obvious advantages to employers, active sourcing can be a huge benefit to potential candidates. Individuals who are enrolled in university, otherwise employed or unable to work can quickly find jobs when the need arises. A candidate will have been selected for their suitable talent and skills, and therefore lead to a mutually beneficial match between employer and employee.

With fewer desirable employees available, and a growing number of open vacancies to fill, there is increasing pressure on recruiters to find skilled candidates – thus leading to the war for talent. Many employers have optimized their recruiting techniques in order to gain the competitive edge; this applies to everything from the job advertisement to the on-boarding process.

Employer Branding

The battle begins with the job advertisement. Today’s recruiters understand the importance of employer branding in the war for talent, and are putting increasing importance creating attractive, eye-catching job ads. Asides from an emphasis on design, some employers are also hiring professional photographers to showcase their company as a whole. By advertising a positive brand image employers are more likely to win over their target audiences.

Planning ahead in the War For Talent

Instead of waiting for a position to become available, modern employers are collecting resumes for future use. Many career sites now encourage unsolicited applications. As for applicants who fall short of an offer, they can also opt for their profile to be stored for future use. This way recruiters ensure a steady supply of skilled candidates, putting themselves one step ahead in the war for talent.

The War For Talent and Recruitment Services

The war for talent has produced new solutions to help employers gain the competitive edge. Professional online services and recruitment software companies offer state of the art systems to optimize their selection process. This allows, for example, simultaneous multi-posting to mainstream job boards, career sites, college sites etc and sophisticated selection tools to then filter out the cream of the crop.

Social Recruiting in The War For Talent

A modern day solution to a modern day dilemma: With most young professionals actively using 1-3 social networks, it makes sense to attract them via social channels too. Savvy employers are winning the war for talent by advertising jobs via social platforms, and encouraging existing employees to spread the word via their own social networks.

Pre-Selection in The War For Talent

These days there are a number of pre-selection services available to aid a company in the war for talent. Outside Assessment firms can accurately test and rate applicants to filter out the best possible candidates for a role. Other techniques include professional questionnaires to accurately assess which applicants are best suited to a position.

Interview Techniques to Win The War

A common mistake in the war for talent is to extend an offer based on nothing more than a ‘gut instinct’ in the hurry to fill a position. The employers coming out on top are those who thoroughly research their techniques, take time to interview all of their candidates and where possible, collaboratively decide on a new hire with their HR team.

Onboarding and Staff Engagement

The war for talent isn’t necessarily won when an offer is extended. In order to keep their new hires, today’s employers are focusing more and more on successfully integrating and engaging their new staff member to ensure that their hard earned win stays put. See our blog articles for more info on modern day engagement techniques.

The War for Talent and softgarden

softgarden recruitment software can dramatically help employers in the war for talent, beginning with professional ads; softgarden software allows its users to easily design attractive ads, using company logo’s and colours as well as the option of professional copywriting and photography services. These ads can then be simultaneously, multi posted to the company website, mainstream career boards, university career sites, social media channels etc. Plus, softgarden offers companies the ‘jobs for friends’ tool, which actively encourages employee referral via existing staff, through their social networks.

Asides from the above, softgarden can further assist in the war for talent by streamlining the application process for candidates, and optimizing the selection process for employers. Applicant’s can apply online with the click of a button via PC, laptop, tablet or even smartphone, plus they are kept informed with automated friendly emails.
Employers can create pre-defined criteria to organize their applicants, making it easier to select the right candidates for interview. Additionally, collaborative tools allow recruiting teams to discuss and choose the right candidates together. See the softgarden website for more information on our recruitment software.

What is Employer Branding?

Employer Branding refers to the creation and maintenance of an employer brand, the concept of which is based on strengthening the corporate public image. In the face of the current skill shortages, a good employer branding can give a company the competitive edge when it comes to attracting employees. A recent Twitter post illustrates how influential employer branding has become: “I met a Google employee last night, he was everything I imagined a Google employee would be. Smart, funky and cool.”

What are the effects of Employer Branding?

Successful and well sustained employer branding not only increases the quality and flow of incoming job applicants, but it also boosts the confidence of existing employees. A strong employer brand can be a source of pride for staff, it bonds them to the company on an emotional level therefore improving employee engagement and ultimately, retention. A strong employer branding will result in candidates (and existing employees) automatically associating the employer name with positive employer characteristics. As a result of this positive association, it is more likely that potential employees will pick these companies over their competitors.

Creating Your Own Employer Brand

Creating and sustaining an employer brand isn’t necessarily an easy task but a good place to begin is an evaluation of the company strengths:

• What makes sets us aside from other employers?
• Why should an applicant choose us over our competitors?
• What will make a talented individual want to stay with us?

By narrowing down exactly what makes their company unique and desirable, employers begin to develop an employer brand that will naturally attract their target audiences.

Where is Employer Branding used?

External employer branding can be showcased in a number of ways, essentially anywhere where the company is presented to the public eye. As with any product brand, an employer branding can be conveyed via text, image, graphics, photographs, video, testimonials etc. The following are current popular areas of branding:

• The company website/blog
• Company correspondence, email, letter or otherwise
• Social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter
• Company Videos on Youtube
• School/college/university and networking fairs
• Job adverts
• Advertising campaigns

An authentic employer branding is showcased from within the company as well as externally. It is no use for a company to advertise themselves as desirable employers, when the reality says otherwise. Therefore, it is vital that employers live up to the employer branding that enticed their employees in the first place. For example, if a company brands themselves as fun, forward thinking and modern then the working environment and employers need to reflect these qualities. By not living up to their employer branding, companies can actively bring down their reputation.

Employer Branding with softgarden

Softgarden can help any business in creating a unique and attractive employer brand that will set them apart from the rest. Our clever software allows companies to create attractive ads using pre-prepared templates, ready for the web. Users can upload their company logo, images and colors to maintain their existing employer brand. We also offer professional copywriting and photography services, to help capture an employer brand in both word and image.

Softgarden software allows companies to quickly and easily multi-post their ads to university and college websites, as well as mainstream job boards, the corporate website and all of the company social media channels. See the softgarden website for more information.

Broadly speaking TRM (Talent Relationship Management) is a term used to describe the cultivation of clients and the maintenance of good customer relations. In recruitment terms this specifically applies to the process of finding and maintaining passive talent, as well as candidates who have an active desire to work for a company.

The two categories of Talent Relationship Management

Talent Relationship Management essentially falls into two categories, internal and external. Internal TRM applies to the techniques used by employers to maintain good relations with their existing employees, which in turn secures a fruitful and on-demand talent supply.

Internal Talent Relationship Management

Internal TRM generally requires the strategic retention, recruitment, training and development of employees. A basic overview of these processes is as follows:

Staff Retention

Maintaining the necessary working environment and atmosphere to uphold engagement and high morale amongst employees.

Internal Recruitment

Internally advertising vacancies and reassigning employees into new positions via transfer or promotion.

Employee Development

Providing educational training and development courses to encourage employees to acquire additional skills and knowledge.

Employee Training

Providing training for employees in order to prepare them for new roles or the use of specific machinery or technology.

Other techniques involve creating loyalty schemes which reward employees for their commitment to the company. These techniques ideally retain the key performers of a company, for example those with high potential or irreplaceable professions.

The use of internal Talent Relationship Management is also becoming increasingly popular as today’s career paths become less predictable. In comparison to the relatively committed Baby Boomers for example, Generation Y are likely to have around 15 career changes over the course of their working lives. Internal TRM can be successful in helping to retain these employees.

External Talent Relationship Management

External TRM refers to the processes used by employers/recruiters to cultivate new talent, maintain strong candidate relations, and build skilled talent pools. Applicant pools enable recruiters to choose from a range of candidates when a position becomes available. This is especially useful for hard-to-fill vacancies.

Common external TRM techniques include the following:

Employer Branding

Upholding a positive company ‘personality’ with consistent and authentic employer branding.

External recruitment

Assessing the skills and qualifications needed for open vacancies and hiring the appropriate external candidates to perform the role.

Talent Pools

Creating talent pools of skilled applicants for potential hire at a later date.

Professional Contact

Keeping regular contact with applicants in order to maintain good relations for the future benefit of the employer, and candidate.

External TRM also refers to the techniques used to maintain communication with employees who have left a company. In regards to the current economic system it is likely that a staff member will leave, and come back to their previous employer at a later date. Maintaining contact with ex-employees provides companies with potential candidates who already have the necessary skills and/or training for positions. Returning employees generally need less on-boarding which can save employers time and money.

The main focus of both internal and external TRM is the cultivation of a strong ‘fan base’, which is carefully maintained in order to give employers the competitive edge when it comes to recruiting.

Talent Relationship Management and softgarden

The softgarden application tracking system allows its users to implement some of the key TRM techniques discussed above. The software allows companies to design unique job ads to boost their brand image. Employers can add their company logo and colors to job ads, and make the use of professional photography and copyrighting services to boost their brand image.

The application tracking system also makes it simple for companies to set up candidate pools with pre-defined criteria. This is particularly useful if a business is looking to hire a range of employees with different skills sets. The applicants will automatically be placed in the relevant pools, which make it easier for recruiters to pick the right talent.

Once the candidates are collected in the pools they are kept updated with frequent, friendly emails to ask them if their data is still up to date and if they want to stay within the pool.

In the war for talent, a positive candidate experience can give an employer the competitive edge they need, in order to win over the best employees. The term ‘candidate experience’ essentially refers to how a potential employee experiences the process of application and hire. This includes the search for a job, the application process, the communication between the employer and the candidate and any resulting interviews or pre-screening processes. Naturally, if this is a positive experience, the candidate is far more likely to opt for this particular employer – hence the term ‘positive candidate experience’.

Positive Candidate Experience

A consistently positive candidate experience is essential to a strong employer brand, for example even if a candidate is not chosen for a position it is vital that they are left with a favorable impression of the company in order to maintain the corporate image. Positive candidate experience can be maintained in a number of ways, including:

A simple application process, ideally online with 1-3 application steps
Swift employer response, to acknowledge and provide further information
Well conducted telephone and face-to-face interviewing techniques
Swift and conscientious responses for unsuccessful candidates

By providing candidates with a good experience, regardless of whether they got the job or not, employers are not only upholding a good image but they are potentially winning over employees for future positions.

Negative Candidate Experience

A candidate who is left with angered or upset by the application process will naturally think negatively of a company. this opinion will be communicated to their peers and can therefore damage an employer brand. Imagine for example, the knock-on effect this could have when communicated via an individual’s social network. Unfortunately studies show that negative candidate experiences are not uncommon: According to a recent study by Monster, 6 out of 10 job seekers reported to have rejected a company at least once because of poor impressions during interview.

Some common traits of Negative Candidate Experience:

Unnecessarily time consuming/complicated application processes
No acknowledgement or a delayed response to an application
Ill-mannered, impersonal or otherwise poor interview techniques
Failure to inform/poor rejection of a candidate

Other aspects of Candidate Experience

Essentially a positive candidate experience means maintaining respectful communication with applicants, from the moment they submit their CV and beyond. However, there are other aspects of the candidate experience to consider, beginning with the job advert. According to studies, candidates spend an average of 30 seconds viewing a job ad – a good first impression will lead to that candidate to apply in the first place. More often than not this will coincide with a candidate researching a company, therefore an attractive corporate website and a positive presence on social media channels is hugely beneficial.

Once a candidate has successfully continued to interview, it is vital that they receive a good impression of the company workplace. This begins in the reception area and all the way to the interview room. If a candidate is impressed with the working environment, and can see that the existing employees are seemingly happy and content, they are far more likely to accept a job offer. Therefore employers also need to consider the following aspects:

Eye-catching, professional ads designed for their target audience
A coherent website which conveys a positive employer Image
An active presence on social media channels
A well maintained and attractive working environment/interview space

Positive Candidate Experience With softgarden

softgarden provides easy to use templates that help companies design eye-catching adverts. Not only do we make it simple for companies to create attractive ads but softgarden also offer professional photography and copywriting services to boost an employer branding.

The softgarden application process is designed to be as quick and simple as possible, allowing candidates to apply in minutes, especially if for those who apply with their LinkedIn or XING profiles. Additionally, softgarden software is compatible with all forms of mobile devices including smartphone and tablet, making it that much easier for candidates to apply online.

Once applicants have applied, they are automatically acknowledged and kept informed of the application process. The softgarden application tracking system allows employers to stay updated on the status of their candidates and automatically prompts users for action in the event of delay – ensuring no one gets forgotten about!

Last but not least, softgarden are pioneers of social recruiting and can assist in boosting your employer brand via social media channels. Companies can multi post their ads to their social networks, or use the softgarden ‘jobs for friends’ tool to further recruit via their employee networks.

Born at start of the 1080’s and later, Generation Y (also known as the Millennial Generation) are the demographic group following Generation X. They are the first demographic to have been brought up with home computers, with the junior Gen Y members also growing up accustomed to portable technology i.e. laptops, smartphones, tablets and the like.

As the youngest employees in today’s workforce, they are also the most desirable. Gen Y are the most educated, diverse and tech savvy demographic in history and therefore an attractive target audience for most employers. On the other hand, Gen Y also have their fair share of undesirable traits, with a reputation for having high expectations yet being uncommitted and work-shy. This may not be true of the entire demographic but it can be said that on balance, Gen Y regard a good work-life balance as more important than high salary or a long standing career.

Generation Y Career Patterns

In comparison to the ‘job for life’ Baby Boomers, Gen Y are breaking the mould with around 15 career changes in a lifetime. On one hand this can be seen as a lack of dedication, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that Gen Y employees aren’t as hard working as their predecessors. The open minded demographic are in high demand and therefore less hesitant to take a new job opportunity when it presents itself, or look for new work if they are unhappy. Some employers are counteracting this with employee engagement tactics to maintain high staff retention. Other companies are embracing the trend by, for example, maintaining contact with valuable ex employees in case they wish to return.

Generation Y and Modern Technology

Gen Y are accustomed to modern technology and are known for being available 24/7 via iphone, blackberry or otherwise. They are used to communication via text message, email and real-time video such as Skype. As a result they expect modern technology to be present in the workplace, and are accustomed to employee perks such as work phones, laptops and the like. Gen Y employees are ideal for many modern businesses, as they generally need little or no training with existing, or new technology.

Diversity Amongst Generation Y

Gen Y is the most diverse generation in history. In the US for example, Black, Hispanic and Asian groups make up 37% of the workforce in comparison to 28% of their predecessors. Generally speaking it is a demographic which openly accepts people of different ethnic backgrounds, as well as maintaining liberal views on equal rights. Gender equality in the workplace is increasing thanks to a generation of employees who were brought up with relatively unprejudiced views on women in the workplace. Although white males are still the biggest earners in today’s workforce, the gender/race pay gap is closing considerably.

Gen Y as a workforce

The current demographic, despite receiving some bad press, can generally be described as career-driven, hard working, intelligent and enthusiastic. Thanks to their liberal upbringing Gen Y are broad minded and open to change, which can be ideal for a rapidly growing or innovative workplace. Gen Y tends to expect immediate results, thanks to the instant gratification provided by modern technology, however with short term goals this can be channeled into high productivity in the workplace. A frequent observation is that Gen Y react well to frequent encouragement and positive evaluations, as opposed to critical feedback. Plus, they work better in teams than in isolation. Last but not least, Gen Y are known to be a social bunch, who are attracted to the opportunity to make workplace friendships and would generally also opt for less/flexible hours for less salary, in favour of more family/friend time.

softgarden and Generation Y

softgarden can help employers in finding talented Generation Y employees in a number of ways. Firstly, the recruitment software assists its users in designing advertisements that will appeal to the young demographic. Pre-prepared templates can be used to create modern, well branded and attractive ads. Gen Y are drawn to the entire package, not just the job: Our professional photographers can further boost an employer image by positively showcasing the company as a whole.

Asides from the company website and career boards, softgarden allows its users to multi-post on university sites and social media channels, increasing their chances to attract Gen Y employees. The software also ensures that job ads are accessible via all forms of technology including smartphones and tablets (a must for this tech-savvy demographic). Applications can be made in a matter of minutes, or seconds if candidates choose to apply by uploading their LinkedIn or XING profile. See more information on the softgarden website.