Did you know more than 40% of restaurant employees fall between the ages of 16 and 24? This means a large number of restaurant staff are millennials, who are just entering the workforce and are re-shaping the world of work.
Are you ready?
The restaurant industry is projected to have a record high in sales for 2015 in response to economic improvements, and will employ approximately 1.8 million more people than it did 10 years ago. Extending from this, millennials are expected to make up 75% of the workforce by 2020.
What does this mean? That you need to develop a recruiting and hiring strategy to attract these workers. To do this, lets first take a look at some of the perks and benefits millennials want:
- Clear growth opportunities and career paths: Career progression is a top priority for this generation — even above competitive salaries. Millennials are committed to their personal learning and development.
- Flexible and lenient work conditions: Millennials believe strongly in work-life balance, and many are enrolled in school. They want flexible working hours to fit those needs. Luckily, the industry is one of the few that offers flexible work schedules.
- A fun and open environment: This generation wants to work in an enjoyable environment where they can have fun and build friendships.
- Brand is everything: Millennials want to be proud of where they work, which means your brand is key. They want to do something that feels worthwhile, and need to believe in the values and vision of the company.
How do you attract millennials? It’s apparent from their “wish list” above that millennials are motivated by more than just money. Attract millennials by offering more of what they want! Put them on rotational assignments more frequently to gain a variety of experiences and give them a sense that they are moving toward something. Offer flexible work conditions so they can balance school and other social activities. Offer fun incentives like work outings and friendly workplace competitions. And know your brand is everything.
Recruiting millennials: Mobile is the device of choice for younger job seekers. Posting your jobs to social and mobile-enabled job sites (like ZippyApp!) allows applicants to react quickly to new postings and apply quickly with less barriers. Our unique QR Code system allows job seekers to scan and apply to your jobs straight from their mobile device — without having to install an app. Every unnecessary step or click in the apply process is a barrier and reduces engagement. This generation is tech-savvy and will spread their love for their workplace through word-of-mouth and social media platforms, which can help recruit local talent.
Social recruiting allows you to hire local, qualified applicants. We provide social recruiting by targeting your jobs to the most qualified, local job seekers on social media. We also post your jobs to the most popular local job boards on the best traffic days to give your jobs the most exposure. Our proprietary algorithm refreshes your jobs based on a variety of factors to attract job seekers at the most opportune time.
We believe social, local, and mobile are the key ingredients to millennial recruiting and hiring. Learn how you can go SoLoMo in your hourly recruiting and hiring — contact our team and get started on a free trial with ZippyApp today!
What can you tell us about your experience in recruiting and hiring millennials? We’d love to hear from you!
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