Millennials are on the move.
New data has revealed some interesting facts about Generation Y (those in the 20-30 age bracket). They crave international working opportunities, with many more making the leap to overseas projects than in any previous decade. 92% of graduates aspire to some kind of international working assignment, while the actual figure of those moving abroad has risen 60% since 2016.
Millennials are actively seeking out overseas jobs, and this isn’t simply restricted to the United Kingdom. The effects are global. In our digital, interconnected age, those just starting out in their careers are highly tuned into the concept of working abroad for better prospects. Working overseas has proven to support faster career growth, while also indulging the yearning for travel felt by many members of Generation Y.
Hiring overseas millennials has numerous benefits. A member of the Generation Y community themselves can bring with them up-to-date qualifications, new-age innovation and creative thinking, open-mindedness, a desire for learning, eagerness to develop and a focus on more than just paying the bills.
That’s before even mentioning the fact they are cheaper to hire.
Add to this, the advantages of pulling a foreign employee into your ranks, including workplace diversification, acquisition of international trade opportunities, access to global networks and a larger pool of talent in which to search, and you’ve got a group of people well worth paying attention to.
Given the benefits of recruiting overseas millennials and the current interest in the generation for work-related relocation, now is the perfect time to consider onboarding such staff.
But how do you acquire foreign members of the Generation Y talent pool?
Understand What Your Candidates Are Looking For
Millennials are not your typical worker. Unlike other generations, they are more geared towards personal growth and development over the acquisition of financial assets. As such, to entice the best candidates, you’re going to have to offer more than a competitive pay packet.
According to the Harvard Business Review, Generation Y is primarily looking for:
- Opportunities for job mobility
- Additional training and development
- Flexible working schedules
- Progressive outlooks towards workplace management and hierarchy
- A workplace that allows them to indulge their career passions
Effectively, they are looking for modern workplaces that deviate from the traditional, top-down management, 9-5 corporate style. If you cannot offer this, your chances of finding strong overseas millennial candidates are low, even with the volume of potential prospects seeking work.
We aren’t suggesting you have to become a hipster-esque office space that provides every employee with a hammock, but you must be prepared to think differently about how you operate, and incorporate the customs and cultures that are so sought after by millenials.
Find Your Audience
Once you’ve taken the steps necessary to sculpt your business into something that will appeal to the international millennial community, you’ve got to connect with them. There is only one real place to go when seeking out Generation Y: The Internet. 90% of millennials regularly use the internet, which means it is the platform on which you’re most likely to be able to engage them.
When on the hunt for millennial employees, you have three primary sources of marketing your available job roles.
- Social media — Connect with Generation Y through social platforms and keep them informed of what you’re offering. This is a strong way to create a dialogue with potential prospects.
- Online advertising — Online advertising has massive reach, from sponsored Facebook posts to Google ads, you can send targeted advertisements to potential millennial candidates.
- Job search websites — Job sites are one of the most popular platforms around for finding work. Posting your position on overseas domestic job boards, and international job websites, is a surefire way to reach your target audience.
Utilise these methods of outreach effectively and you shouldn’t have any trouble finding eager, younger Generation Y candidates that want to apply for your job opportunities.
Support Their Relocation Process
The acquisition of international millennial talent is really a three-step process. The first is establishing yourself as a brand worthy of their attention. The second is getting their attention. Finally, once you have their attention, you have to incorporate them into your company.
Let’s start with the bad news. 40% of international relocation assignments fail. This isn’t just down to Generation Y; this is across the board. The reasons they fail are simple: poor preparation and a lack support. Many businesses simply hire their candidate and leave them to find their own success, offering little to no help. In light of this information, it should not really come as much of a surprise that so many people struggle to achieve overseas work success. Moving abroad for work is a stressful, complicated process. Leaving your new employees isolated, forced to fend for themselves, is asking for trouble.
So how can you support your new foreign millennial workers and ensure their move is a positive and beneficial one for both parties? We encourage you to take the following initiatives when relocating a member of the Generation Y community:
- Pre-move preparation and education — One of the major issues encountered by overseas assignees is cultural differences and language barriers. Pre-move prep is the best weapon against this enemy, with educational resources helping to curb potential issues.
- Move management — Moving is incredibly stressful, and throwing in the complexities of corporate relocation makes it even more so. From visa and immigration, to finding accommodation and sorting things like bills, banking and transport, supporting your candidate through these processes (and making sure they are done properly) can greatly increase the chances of successful integration.
- Support settling in and adapting — Trouble settling in and culture shock can be a major hurdle for international recruits, both of the millennial generation and any other. Businesses can negate these issues by offering supportive actions like area orientation programs, community integration practices and further cultural education.
- Regular HR reviews — If an employee suffers in silence, they are far more likely to become overwhelmed by problems and repatriate. Review your millennial recruit’s status regularly. Stress that these are not reviews designed to scrutinise performance, but to ensure they aren’t facing issues at work or home that could jeopardise their life abroad.
Getting hands-on with the relocation of your international millennial recruit is essential for a successful move, and ensures you maintain your valuable new talent for the intended term of their work assignment.