Watch out human resources and hiring managers, the Millennial job applicant is knocking on your door and don’t be surprised if their parent is doing the knocking for them. Open the door to this job applicant born after 1980 and you will probably find a narcissistic, coddled, respectful, confident and broke candidate. You will also be greeting a diverse, creative, technical savvy candidate. By lottery of birth timing, Millennials are the world’s first generation of digital natives. Adapting to technology is hard-wired in their DNA.
There’s no denying that a large portion of the Baby-Boomer generation has and will continue to be retiring in vast numbers. Hiring new employees will become a very pressing matter for many companies. Most of the new job applicants will be Millennials. As in any staffing situation crafting a solid set of interview questions will help identify the strongest candidate for the role. Following are five interviewing tactics that will help you determine which Millennial candidate should move forward in the interviewing process.
ONE give them an assignment. Ask the candidate to visit one of your stores, campuses, office or company Web site before the interview. During the interview ask the candidate what were their observations.
TWO ask basic interview questions geared for the Millennial candidate:
• If you had only one word to describe yourself, what would that be?
• What is your favorite Web site?
• What are your major strengths?
• What was the best job you ever had and why?
• What chores or responsibilities do you dislike the most?
• How are you unique?
• What extracurricular activities were you involved in while in school?
• Why are you interested in this job?
THREE throw them a curveball. The Millennial loves to incorporate fun in the workplace and by asking a fun puzzle interview question you will appeal to their senses all while ganging their ability to visualize a problem. For this win-win interview situation ask the following:
Henry’s mother, Lucy, has four children, that is all. The first one’s name is, Summer, the second one’s name is Fall. Winter is the third one, and that leaves one more. Can you guess the name of the final baby that she bore? (A: Henry)
FOUR ask one or two simple behavioral based questions. Behavioral based questions ask for a specific example from a candidate that reveal his or her past behavior. Using past behavior is a proven technique for accurately determining the future performance or success of an individual. The difference between a behavioral question and a general question is that the behavioral question asks for a specific example. Behavioral questions usually begin with a request such as, “Tell me about a time when… ” or “Describe a situation in which… ” What you will be listening for is what the problem or situation was, what action was taken and what was the outcome. Following are three simple behavioral based questions that would be appropriate to ask a Millennial:
• Describe a time when you had to adapt to a new situation.
• Tell me about a time when you took the initiative concerning something that you saw needed to be done.
• Tell me about a time when you went above and beyond what the job required.
FIVE ask job specific questions. Craft a few questions that relate directly to the position that the candidate is applying to. For example:
• This position requires up to 20% overnight travel, are you willing and able to meet these travel requirements?
• Which digital social media marketing tools have you used and which one do you like the most?
• How many years of AutoCad experience do you have?
Use these five tactics when interviewing your Millennial candidate as a part of your overall recruiting process and you will soon be extending offers to quality new hires.
