How to Hire the Net Generation
Published on BusinessWeek
November 22, 2008
Published on BusinessWeek
November 22, 2008
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By Don Tapscott
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Hiring the under-30, digitally savvy young workers who will be the next generation of managers requires adapting recruitment strategies to fit the demographic
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Editor's note: This is the fourth in an eight-part series (BusinessWeek.com, 11/17/08) of Viewpoints by author Don Tapscott, who draws on the $4 million research project that inspired his new book, Grown Up Digital, to explain how digital technology has affected the children of the baby boomers, a group he calls the Net Generation.
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As companies restructure to survive this recession, they have an opportunity that could make them significantly stronger in the future. Managers now have a chance to lower the age of their workforce by hiring the best young people they can find. Once the recession is over, the smart companies that have hired top young talent will be in a prime position to survive the next war: the war for talent. As one of my clients said to me, "A recession is a terrible thing to waste."
The question now is: How do you find the best young people, and how do you keep them?
The question now is: How do you find the best young people, and how do you keep them?
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The War for Talent
The War for Talent
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The Net Generation, as I describe the young people under 30 who've grown up digital, are challenging for traditional companies to hire and retain. They have different expectations, attitudes, and skills from boomers like me. They want to have fun at work, and work off-site or at odd hours, if possible. They are more likely than their parents were to balance work and family life, or to demand that their job be reconfigured to fit their needs. They like to collaborate, and won't necessarily respect the lines of authority to do so. And they won't necessarily be loyal to their employer. If another firm offers more money or a better deal, they'll go.
Although some employers complain that Net Geners are spoiled brats who want all the perks without the effort (an opinion I do not share), employers need them. It's a straight issue of demographics that a recession cannot alter. In the next 10 years, as baby boomers retire, there won't be enough young people to fill up the management spots recently vacated. The war for talent may be temporarily eased by this recession, but it won't last forever, and when it ends, the competition for the best young people will be fiercer than ever.
The Net Generation, as I describe the young people under 30 who've grown up digital, are challenging for traditional companies to hire and retain. They have different expectations, attitudes, and skills from boomers like me. They want to have fun at work, and work off-site or at odd hours, if possible. They are more likely than their parents were to balance work and family life, or to demand that their job be reconfigured to fit their needs. They like to collaborate, and won't necessarily respect the lines of authority to do so. And they won't necessarily be loyal to their employer. If another firm offers more money or a better deal, they'll go.
Although some employers complain that Net Geners are spoiled brats who want all the perks without the effort (an opinion I do not share), employers need them. It's a straight issue of demographics that a recession cannot alter. In the next 10 years, as baby boomers retire, there won't be enough young people to fill up the management spots recently vacated. The war for talent may be temporarily eased by this recession, but it won't last forever, and when it ends, the competition for the best young people will be fiercer than ever.
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Hiring the Net Gen Way
Hiring the Net Gen Way
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To hire them successfully, employers need to abandon the old human resources model—recruit, train, supervise, and retain. Young people who've been conditioned to expect a two-way conversation won't stay for long in a world run this way. Instead, employers need a new modus operandi. I sum it up this way: initiate, engage, collaborate, and evolve.
If you consider just the business of hiring, you'll see it's a whole new ball game. To find new people, companies used to place a classified ad or turn up at a college career day. Yet traditional advertising to attract young people is a complete waste of time. The smarter way is find young recruits online—with engaging and informative Web sites, with blogs and podcasts, plus some attractive multimedia material to distribute on Google's (GOOG) YouTube and/or the social network Facebook.
Studies show that online sites now hold 110 million jobs and 20 million unique résumés—10 million of them on Monster.com (MWW) alone. Some entire job search engines, such as http://www.hirediversity.com/ and http://naacp.monster.com/, are devoted solely to diversity job recruitment. Savvy organizations will position themselves as an attractive Net Gen employer by providing authentic, uncensored blogs by Net Gen employees, a Hiring FAQ page in the form of a wiki, and a customer-service-like mechanism for answering candidates' questions in real-time chat.
No one is suggesting that social networking sites like Facebook and LinkeIn will replace your Human Resources Departments. But as my nGenera colleague Mike Dover puts it, "Any firm that does not deploy them as a recruiting tool, especially in the initial tracking stage, will find itself at a serious disadvantage."
To hire them successfully, employers need to abandon the old human resources model—recruit, train, supervise, and retain. Young people who've been conditioned to expect a two-way conversation won't stay for long in a world run this way. Instead, employers need a new modus operandi. I sum it up this way: initiate, engage, collaborate, and evolve.
If you consider just the business of hiring, you'll see it's a whole new ball game. To find new people, companies used to place a classified ad or turn up at a college career day. Yet traditional advertising to attract young people is a complete waste of time. The smarter way is find young recruits online—with engaging and informative Web sites, with blogs and podcasts, plus some attractive multimedia material to distribute on Google's (GOOG) YouTube and/or the social network Facebook.
Studies show that online sites now hold 110 million jobs and 20 million unique résumés—10 million of them on Monster.com (MWW) alone. Some entire job search engines, such as http://www.hirediversity.com/ and http://naacp.monster.com/, are devoted solely to diversity job recruitment. Savvy organizations will position themselves as an attractive Net Gen employer by providing authentic, uncensored blogs by Net Gen employees, a Hiring FAQ page in the form of a wiki, and a customer-service-like mechanism for answering candidates' questions in real-time chat.
No one is suggesting that social networking sites like Facebook and LinkeIn will replace your Human Resources Departments. But as my nGenera colleague Mike Dover puts it, "Any firm that does not deploy them as a recruiting tool, especially in the initial tracking stage, will find itself at a serious disadvantage."
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Start Engaging Early
Start Engaging Early
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What happens when you get a prospect in the door? Old-style job interviews need to be replaced by a two-way dialogue. The Net Generation wants to make sure company values and corporate culture align with their own values and style. They've probably checked out the company online before the interview.
To keep Net Geners in your company, you have to see employment as a two-way engagement between employee and employer. It starts right away, during the traditional 90-day probationary period during which new recruits are assessed for their suitability. Nowadays, the company is on probation, too. Young employees regularly use this period to decide whether the employer is worth working for. Employers need to expose the new recruit to various leaders, work situations, and work content. Companies that make the effort will benefit from less turnover, shorter ramp-up periods, higher levels of engagement, and earlier and greater returns on their investments in young employees.
Supervision may be on the way out, too. Brad Anderson, chief executive of Best Buy (BBY), puts it this way: "The Net Geners we hire have enormous knowledge, unprecedented information, and facility with tools that in some areas is superior to their seniors." So the job of management is more to create the context whereby they can be successful, rather than to supervise them.
What happens when you get a prospect in the door? Old-style job interviews need to be replaced by a two-way dialogue. The Net Generation wants to make sure company values and corporate culture align with their own values and style. They've probably checked out the company online before the interview.
To keep Net Geners in your company, you have to see employment as a two-way engagement between employee and employer. It starts right away, during the traditional 90-day probationary period during which new recruits are assessed for their suitability. Nowadays, the company is on probation, too. Young employees regularly use this period to decide whether the employer is worth working for. Employers need to expose the new recruit to various leaders, work situations, and work content. Companies that make the effort will benefit from less turnover, shorter ramp-up periods, higher levels of engagement, and earlier and greater returns on their investments in young employees.
Supervision may be on the way out, too. Brad Anderson, chief executive of Best Buy (BBY), puts it this way: "The Net Geners we hire have enormous knowledge, unprecedented information, and facility with tools that in some areas is superior to their seniors." So the job of management is more to create the context whereby they can be successful, rather than to supervise them.
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Let Them Go—and Hire Them Back
Let Them Go—and Hire Them Back
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Retention over the long term may not be realistic either. You can't expect a Net Gener to stay with you forever. In one Canadian study of 18- to 34-year-olds, the average young person held five full-time (nonsummer) jobs by age 27. Yet these Net Geners can help you after they leave—as the alumni of great universities do. If you rehire them, you'll save money. Rehiring them costs half as much as it does to hire a brand-new person, and rehires are 40% more productive in their first quarter at work, according to the Harvard Business Review.
Net Geners can be challenging and even infuriating as employees (when they repeatedly ask you for feedback, for example). But the companies that hire them and adapt to their new ways will be able to learn from them the collaborative styles of working that could help them to survive now and in the future.
Don Tapscott recently led a survey of 11,000 young people around the world. He has written 12 widely read books on the impact of the Internet on society. His 1996 book Growing Up Digital defined the Net Generation and the sequel, Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation Is Changing Your World, was recently published in Britain.
Don Tapscott, author of Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation Is Changing Your World, is the founder and chairman of nGenera Insight. Other books he has authored or co-authored include Wikinomics, Paradigm Shift, The Digital Economy, and Growing Up Digital.
Retention over the long term may not be realistic either. You can't expect a Net Gener to stay with you forever. In one Canadian study of 18- to 34-year-olds, the average young person held five full-time (nonsummer) jobs by age 27. Yet these Net Geners can help you after they leave—as the alumni of great universities do. If you rehire them, you'll save money. Rehiring them costs half as much as it does to hire a brand-new person, and rehires are 40% more productive in their first quarter at work, according to the Harvard Business Review.
Net Geners can be challenging and even infuriating as employees (when they repeatedly ask you for feedback, for example). But the companies that hire them and adapt to their new ways will be able to learn from them the collaborative styles of working that could help them to survive now and in the future.
Don Tapscott recently led a survey of 11,000 young people around the world. He has written 12 widely read books on the impact of the Internet on society. His 1996 book Growing Up Digital defined the Net Generation and the sequel, Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation Is Changing Your World, was recently published in Britain.
Don Tapscott, author of Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation Is Changing Your World, is the founder and chairman of nGenera Insight. Other books he has authored or co-authored include Wikinomics, Paradigm Shift, The Digital Economy, and Growing Up Digital.
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Vocabulary:
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Under-30: people under the age of 30
Savvy: adjective - practical know-how
to fit: verb - Inflected Form(s): fit·ted or fit; fit·ting - to be in harmony or accord
baby boomers: noun – expression: a marked rise in birthrate (as in the United States immediately following the end of World War II)
workforce: noun - the workers engaged in a specific activity or enterprise
hiring: intransitive Verb: to hire – (present continuous form) to take employment
prime position: adjective - the choicest or best position of anything
to waste: Transitive verb - to spend or use carelessly : squanderb: to allow to be used inefficiently or become dissipated
grown up: Intransitive Verb - Past Participle of to grow up - to grow toward or arrive at full stature or physical or mental maturity
skills: noun - the ability to use one's knowledge effectively and readily in execution or performance b: dexterity or coordination especially in the execution of learned physical tasks
to have fun: diverter-se (easier explained in Portuguese)
off-site: adjective or adverb - not located or occurring at the site of a particular activity (neste contexto: fora do local de trabalho)
odd hours: irregular hours
be reconfigured: be changed (sejam reconfigurados)
be loyal: be faithful, (ser leal)
better deal: expression - better offer (uma melhor oferta)
Although: conjunction - in spite of the fact that : even though
spoiled brats: expression – someone Selfish..inconsiderate..and always whiney
perks: noun [C] informal an advantage or benefit, such as money or goods, which you are given because of your job
straight issue: straight matter, straight issue (questão direta de)
retire: Intransitive verb to leave your job or stop working because of old age or ill health
to fill up: phrasal verb - to become full, or to make something become full
management spots: vagas gerenciais (easier explained in Portuguese)
won't last forever: expression – não durará para sempre (easier explained in Poruguese)
be fiercer than ever: expression – mais agressivo do que nunca (easier explained in Portuguese)
modus operandi: noun - Etymology: New Latin Date: 1654 - a method of procedure ; especially : a distinct pattern or method of operation that indicates or suggests the work of a single criminal in more than one crime
sum it up: to summarize (para resumir)
evolve: verb [I or T] to develop gradually, or to cause something or someone to develop gradually
a whole new ball game: expression - a completely different situation, often one which is difficult or which you know little about
waste of time: expression – desperdício de tempo (easier explained in Portuguese)
résumés: same as Curriculum – Résumé (U.S.) / Curriculum (Br. Eng.)
solely: adjective [before noun] being one only; single
deploy: verb [T] to use something or someone, especially in an effective way
recruiting tool: ferramentas de recrutamento de pessoal (easier explained in Portuguese)
initial tracking stage: expressão – primeiros estágios de um processo (easier explained in Portuguese)
disadvantage: adjective - lacking the standard of living conditions, education, etc. that most people have
prospect: noun - a person who might be chosen, for example as an employee
be replaced: ser substituindo (easier explained in Portuguese)
two-way dialogue: diálogo de duas vias e não um monólogo – (easier explained in Portuguese)
two-way engagement: a two way agreement
right away: immediately
90-day probationary period: same as Período de Experiência in Brazil
Assessed: evaluated
Suitability: adverb of suitable - right for someone or something
Nowadays: adverb at the present time, in comparison to the past
on probation: neste contexto – alguém ainda no período de experiência (easier explained in Portuguese)
whether: conjunction – same as if
is worth: expression - to be of reasonable or good value for the price – (valer a pena…)
turnover: in this context it refers to the number of persons hired within a period to replace those leaving or dropped from a workforce ; also : the ratio of this number to the number in the average force maintained
ramp-up periods: noun – Etymology: Middle French, from ramparer to fortify, from re- + emparer to defend, from Old Occitan emparar, from Vulgar Latin *imparare, from Latin in- 2in- + parare to prepare — a protective barrier
on the way out: same as leaving
knowledge: noun - the sum of what is known : the body of truth, information, and principles acquired by humankind
tools: noun - something (as an instrument or apparatus) used in performing an operation or necessary in the practice of a vocation or profession
whereby: conjunction - by, through, or in accordance with which
rather than: same as instead of (ao invés de)
(nonsummer) jobs: opposite of summer jobs – trabalhos temporaries de verão
Alumni: noun - a person who has attended or has graduated from a particular school, college, or university
Rehiring: re-contratar – (easier explained in Portuguese)
half as much: expression - One-and-a-half times more; 50 percent more.
brand-new: expression – novinho em folha… (easier explained in Portuguese)
first quarter: primeiros (03) três meses do ano (easier explained in Portuguese)
be challenging: ser desafiador – (easier explained in Portuguese)
feedback: noun - The return of information about the result of a process or activity; an evaluative response
be able to: phrasal verb – ter condições de … (easier explained in Portuguese)
to survive: [I or T] to continue to live or exist, especially after coming close to dying or being destroyed or after being in a difficult or threatening situation
led: Past of lead - verb [I or T] led, led to control a group of people, a country, or a situation (neste contexto é usado no sentido de conduziu a pesquisa..)
survey: noun [C] an examination of opinions, behaviour, etc., made by asking people questions
widely: amplamente (easier explained in Portuguese)
sequel: countable noun - book, film or play which continues the story of a previous book etc
chairman: noun [C] a person in charge of a meeting or organization
Under-30: people under the age of 30
Savvy: adjective - practical know-how
to fit: verb - Inflected Form(s): fit·ted or fit; fit·ting - to be in harmony or accord
baby boomers: noun – expression: a marked rise in birthrate (as in the United States immediately following the end of World War II)
workforce: noun - the workers engaged in a specific activity or enterprise
hiring: intransitive Verb: to hire – (present continuous form) to take employment
prime position: adjective - the choicest or best position of anything
to waste: Transitive verb - to spend or use carelessly : squander
grown up: Intransitive Verb - Past Participle of to grow up - to grow toward or arrive at full stature or physical or mental maturity
skills: noun - the ability to use one's knowledge effectively and readily in execution or performance b: dexterity or coordination especially in the execution of learned physical tasks
to have fun: diverter-se (easier explained in Portuguese)
off-site: adjective or adverb - not located or occurring at the site of a particular activity (neste contexto: fora do local de trabalho)
odd hours: irregular hours
be reconfigured: be changed (sejam reconfigurados)
be loyal: be faithful, (ser leal)
better deal: expression - better offer (uma melhor oferta)
Although: conjunction - in spite of the fact that : even though
spoiled brats: expression – someone Selfish..inconsiderate..and always whiney
perks: noun [C] informal an advantage or benefit, such as money or goods, which you are given because of your job
straight issue: straight matter, straight issue (questão direta de)
retire: Intransitive verb to leave your job or stop working because of old age or ill health
to fill up: phrasal verb - to become full, or to make something become full
management spots: vagas gerenciais (easier explained in Portuguese)
won't last forever: expression – não durará para sempre (easier explained in Poruguese)
be fiercer than ever: expression – mais agressivo do que nunca (easier explained in Portuguese)
modus operandi: noun - Etymology: New Latin Date: 1654 - a method of procedure ; especially : a distinct pattern or method of operation that indicates or suggests the work of a single criminal in more than one crime
sum it up: to summarize (para resumir)
evolve: verb [I or T] to develop gradually, or to cause something or someone to develop gradually
a whole new ball game: expression - a completely different situation, often one which is difficult or which you know little about
waste of time: expression – desperdício de tempo (easier explained in Portuguese)
résumés: same as Curriculum – Résumé (U.S.) / Curriculum (Br. Eng.)
solely: adjective [before noun] being one only; single
deploy: verb [T] to use something or someone, especially in an effective way
recruiting tool: ferramentas de recrutamento de pessoal (easier explained in Portuguese)
initial tracking stage: expressão – primeiros estágios de um processo (easier explained in Portuguese)
disadvantage: adjective - lacking the standard of living conditions, education, etc. that most people have
prospect: noun - a person who might be chosen, for example as an employee
be replaced: ser substituindo (easier explained in Portuguese)
two-way dialogue: diálogo de duas vias e não um monólogo – (easier explained in Portuguese)
two-way engagement: a two way agreement
right away: immediately
90-day probationary period: same as Período de Experiência in Brazil
Assessed: evaluated
Suitability: adverb of suitable - right for someone or something
Nowadays: adverb at the present time, in comparison to the past
on probation: neste contexto – alguém ainda no período de experiência (easier explained in Portuguese)
whether: conjunction – same as if
is worth: expression - to be of reasonable or good value for the price – (valer a pena…)
turnover: in this context it refers to the number of persons hired within a period to replace those leaving or dropped from a workforce ; also : the ratio of this number to the number in the average force maintained
ramp-up periods: noun – Etymology: Middle French, from ramparer to fortify, from re- + emparer to defend, from Old Occitan emparar, from Vulgar Latin *imparare, from Latin in- 2in- + parare to prepare — a protective barrier
on the way out: same as leaving
knowledge: noun - the sum of what is known : the body of truth, information, and principles acquired by humankind
tools: noun - something (as an instrument or apparatus) used in performing an operation or necessary in the practice of a vocation or profession
whereby: conjunction - by, through, or in accordance with which
rather than: same as instead of (ao invés de)
(nonsummer) jobs: opposite of summer jobs – trabalhos temporaries de verão
Alumni: noun - a person who has attended or has graduated from a particular school, college, or university
Rehiring: re-contratar – (easier explained in Portuguese)
half as much: expression - One-and-a-half times more; 50 percent more.
brand-new: expression – novinho em folha… (easier explained in Portuguese)
first quarter: primeiros (03) três meses do ano (easier explained in Portuguese)
be challenging: ser desafiador – (easier explained in Portuguese)
feedback: noun - The return of information about the result of a process or activity; an evaluative response
be able to: phrasal verb – ter condições de … (easier explained in Portuguese)
to survive: [I or T] to continue to live or exist, especially after coming close to dying or being destroyed or after being in a difficult or threatening situation
led: Past of lead - verb [I or T] led, led to control a group of people, a country, or a situation (neste contexto é usado no sentido de conduziu a pesquisa..)
survey: noun [C] an examination of opinions, behaviour, etc., made by asking people questions
widely: amplamente (easier explained in Portuguese)
sequel: countable noun - book, film or play which continues the story of a previous book etc
chairman: noun [C] a person in charge of a meeting or organization
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Totally agree. We created a Hiring System specifically designed for working with the net generation with huge numbers attracted by our clients in Canada. You can see our clients talking about it at www.HiringSmart.ca
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