PeopleAnswers White Paper

Attracting Generation Y Employees

Who, what, how and why? Who is the new generation that is
penetrating the job market like no other since the baby boomers?
What is it that they are looking for, what are they attracted to? How
does one even go about finding, sourcing, or employing them? And
why are they so critical to drive success within retail stores?
“As this
generation Much has been written about the new generation, Generation Y, but
grows up, so seemingly very little is known of them, outside of being culturally
diverse, brand motivated, and technically savvy1. Generation Y
must our ability to
represents those that have been born between 1979 and 1990 and
locate,
locate, recruit, are, therefore, still in the infancy in the employment world. The first
and retain them” batch has only just made it into corporate America, and corporate
America is still trying to understand them, particularly in regards to
motivation and expectations. What is clear, though, is that as this
generation grows up, so must our ability as HR professionals to be
able to locate, recruit, and retain them.

Locating them may be the easiest of all three. In fact, locating

Generation Y may be easier than locating any other generation before
them. Generation Y’ers are renowned for their technical abilities and
their omni-presence online. Every researcher into this generation will
tell you that the Internet has replaced the television, billboards,
magazines, and radio as the dominant medium for communication2
and more and more businesses are tailoring their advertising,
“The Web is the marketing, and recruiting efforts to this. In Lachnit’s (2002) article on
primary vehicle recruiting Generation Y, Brent Inman, Leader of US College Recruiting
for a recruitment at PricewaterhouseCoopers, confirms this shift by saying that the Web
campaign because is the primary vehicle for a recruitment campaign because, to this
campaign
to this generation generation, the Web is “radio, TV, newspaper, entertainment, and
information all rolled up into one.”
the Web is radio,
TV,
TV, newspaper, And there are statistics to match. More and more, the Internet is
entertainment, becoming the place to look for jobs. As of mid-2002, over 52 million
and information Americans used the Internet to find job related information and 61%
all
all rolled up of those where Generation Y’ers3. Companies are responding by
into one”
one” creating stand-alone websites and custom career portals. In 1999,
29% of the Global 500 had a career website, and by 2001, that
number had already rocketed to 89%4. Clearly, the Internet has taken
the hunt for jobs out of the newspapers and away from walk-ins and

1
Chester, E., (2002), Employing Generation Why?, Lachnit , C. (2002) Going for Generation Y, Neuborne E., and
Kerwin, K., (1999) Generation Y
2
Avrin, D (2002) The Who, What, and How of Gen-Why Employees, Burke, M.E., (2004) Generational
Difference Survey Report, Chester, E. (2002) Employing Generation Why?
3
Hunt, S.T., & Handler C. A. (2003) Online Staffing Assessment Tools: Using Technology to Increase Staffing
Efficiency and Effectiveness
4
Hunt, S.T., Handler C. A., (2003) Online Staffing Assessment Tools: Using Technology to Increase Staffing
Efficiency and Effectiveness
1 ___________________________________
PeopleAnswers, Inc.
14185 Dallas Parkway, Suite 550
Dallas, TX 75254
URL: www.PeopleAnswers.com
Ph: 214-445-2168
PeopleAnswers White Paper

“The Internet toward a more virtual and seamless application process.

drastically
increases the Not only has the Internet commoditized the job search process, but it
number of has also dramatically altered the application process, and for both
parties. Candidates, particularly Generation Y’ers, can apply for four
potential
times the number of positions than they could in the same time period
applicants that
just walking round the mall. Also, the Internet has dramatically
will have access to enlarged the candidate population or pool. Recent statistics show that
your positions, in the US alone there are over 130 million at-home Internet users5, all
brings with of whom have access to job postings online. Of course, you will never
which brings
it many of its
its have that many applicants, but the point is simply that the Internet
own problems” drastically increases the number of potential applicants that will have
access to your positions, which brings with it many of its own
problems.

The retail sector is one in which applicant volume is most notable.

Here, the need for hourly store associate positions coupled with
systemic turnover often creates an overwhelming quantity of
applicants. As any retailer will tell you, quantity is not a substitute for
quality. Therefore, it is critical to establish a seamless, efficient and
responsive process for sifting through applicants and finding the right
ones, while at the same time enabling the candidate to apply with
“As any retailer ease.
will tell you,
quantity is not a Enter the screening tool. This is not the forum to debate the varying
substitute for and myriad types of screening tools in the marketplace. But rather, to
identify an effective system that will enable the applicant and the
quality, so the
employer to reach agreeable ends. The applicant, particularly the
trick quickly
Generation Y’ers, want a simple, responsive, and informed application
becomes process that will enable them to quickly and seamlessly apply for a
establishing a position and understand what steps to expect next.6
seamless,
efficient,
efficient, and The employer, for the most part, wants the same thing, but with
responsive optimization: a simple, easy-to-use, and responsive tool that will
prioritize potential top performers both skill-wise, behaviorally, and
process”
culturally, and enable them to contact the right candidate immediately.
In other words, the employer needs a tool that will screen out
potential risks, and quickly identify those that will perform well in their
business, while the candidate wants to know that their application will
be taken seriously, and if there is a fit, will be contacted quickly7.

5
Kerner, S. M. (2004) Active Internet Users by Country, Sept 2004
6
Hacker, C. (2003) Recruiting and Retaining “Generation Y and X” Employees
7
Chester, E. (2002) Employing Generation Why?, Martin, C. & Tulgar B. (2001) Managing Generation Y, Moran
G. (2003) Succeed With the Soft Stuff
2 ___________________________________
PeopleAnswers, Inc.
14185 Dallas Parkway, Suite 550
Dallas, TX 75254
URL: www.PeopleAnswers.com
Ph: 214-445-2168
PeopleAnswers White Paper

And quickly is the key word for both parties here. Generation Y’ers
have grown up in an “instant” and “real-time” world, where dinner is
“That is the frequently made within 45 seconds in a microwave, and news is
reason they are delivered right to their virtual doorstep, not just at six and nine
o’clock8. Furthermore, it has already been noted that they are
called Generation
technically savvy and expect exchanges to happen online, and they
Y, because they
expect that from their employers as well9.
cannot stop
asking why. And What they also expect from their employers is commitment,
can you blame immediacy, the opportunity to succeed, and most importantly,
them?
them?” information10. After all, that is the reason they are called Generation
Y, because they cannot stop asking, “Why?” And can you blame
them? In their lifetime, they have seen presidents lie, sports heroes
become adulterers or drug addicts, and skyscrapers come crashing
down around them. All of this can lead to many “why’s.”

And this is critical to address when recruiting Generation Y’ers.

Questions such as “Why should I work for your company?” or “Why is
your opportunity better than the opportunity down the street?” must
be addressed at every point—on the website, in the job description, in
“In a sampling of the application process, prior to the screening questions or
20,000 plus questionnaire, and during the interview process11. If you can’t answer
these questions, it is unlikely that you will effectively recruit
assessments,
Generation Y’ers.
clients
experienced an Case study data helps to further highlight this point. In a recent
assessment
assessment sampling of 20,000+ assessments, clients of PeopleAnswers, an online
completion rate
rate behavioral assessment, experienced an assessment completion
above 90%”
90%” rate above 90%, with 63% of those people contributing optional
demographic data. Of that 63%, almost 70% of them were under 40
years of age.

These are great statistics for any assessment process, but they do not
come without answering the questions cited above. PeopleAnswers
ensures that all candidates are educated in the assessment process
prior to commencing the assessment. All candidates know how long
the assessment will take to complete, why they are taking the
assessment, and how it fits within the "people strategy" of the
administering business. This exchange of information is the only way
to organize any kind of screening process at the very front of a
recruitment lifecycle.

8
Chester, E. (2004) Creating Family-Like Loyalty
9
Lachnit, C. (2002) Going for Generation Y
10
Chester, E. (2004) Creating Family-Like Loyalty, Martin, C. & Tulgar, B. (2001) Managing Generation Y
11
Chester, E. (2002) Employing Generation Why?
3 ___________________________________
PeopleAnswers, Inc.
14185 Dallas Parkway, Suite 550
Dallas, TX 75254
URL: www.PeopleAnswers.com
Ph: 214-445-2168
PeopleAnswers White Paper

That exchange of communication drives the ability to screen out, or

screen in, candidates, and to begin the hiring process with a
consistent, technology-friendly application. Remember, Generation
Y’ers are “talented, educated, techno-savvy, open-minded, service-
oriented young people,”12 people who can drive real performance in a
business. But don’t forget that Generation X’ers and Baby Boomers
“If done may also be applicants, and must be able to use the same recruitment
effectively, it can process as the Y’ers. You must be careful not to make your application
introduce
process so technically advanced as to alienate the previous
generations.
someone to a
company and Remember, for employers and all applicants, regardless of generation,
emphasize a real a recruitment process must be efficient, informative, easy, and
focus on the accurate. If done effectively, it can introduce someone to a company
‘people equation’” and emphasize a real focus on the "people equation." It sends the
message that the people being considered are integral to the business,
so much so that technology and screening are used to find those that
best match the culture and behavior of the business. The priority for
both parties is to find the right opportunity for their respective needs,
and to find them quickly. Using a screening product that is customized
to the hiring environment will only expedite that process, and pacify
the “why’s” of the Generation Y’ers and their future employers.

Ira Grossman is Vice President of Operations at PeopleAnswers, and Oliver Yates is a

Business Development Manager at PeopleAnswers. The company is the leading provider
of web-based behavioral assessment solutions allowing for efficient and methodical
selection and development of top performers at all professional, managerial, and
customer-facing levels of the enterprise.

PeopleAnswers gives you unparalleled insight into job applicants and existing
employees. Our software compares an individual’s Behavioral DNA™ against our
validated Best Practice Profiles or against a company’s own custom-developed
Performance Profile™. PeopleAnswers software determines the specific behavioral traits
in a group of existing top-performing employees and uses these traits to seek new
applicants, thereby filling a company’s roster with the best and brightest. Clients include
Neiman Marcus, HSBC, Michaels Stores, Macy’s, and Hilton Hotels.

For more information on PeopleAnswers, visit www.PeopleAnswers.com.

12
Martin, C. & Tulgar, B. (2001) Managing Generation Y
4 ___________________________________
PeopleAnswers, Inc.
14185 Dallas Parkway, Suite 550
Dallas, TX 75254
URL: www.PeopleAnswers.com
Ph: 214-445-2168