How to create an employer brand that appeals to millennials

Employers need to start building a brand specifically aimed at recruiting millennials who have a different set of priorities and ambitions that you need to appeal to. Find out how employers are currently lacking in their efforts to recruit millennials. 

Ineffective employer brands for millennials

Employers have a "brand problem" when it comes to appealing to millennials. Keeping the old employer brand just won't cut it. 

Sanjeev Agrawal – a co-founder and CEO of College Feed and contributing author to Harvard Business Review – carried out a study that found a whopping 92 per cent of employers believe they have a "brand problem" in their efforts to recruit millennials.  

Turns out, this issue stems from companies' inabilities to address two key millennial values. 

1. Millennials want a company with values and a good culture

Millennials care about how much their companies seem to value people. 

Agrawal found in his College Feed survey that "people and culture fit" is the number one priority of millennials when choosing an employer.  As such, one of the questions that your company needs to answer when recruiting millennials is: "What is it like to work there?" 

In addition to wanting a company with a good culture, millennials also place importance on values. Deloitte asked nearly 7,700 Millennials from 29 countries about their values and ambitions and found that seven in 10 share the values of the organisation they work at. The Deloitte survey also found that corporate social responsibility is important to millennials.

The millennial generation often want to be part of a business that makes a point of prioritising people – like their employees and customers – above all. 

2. Millennials want an opportunity for progression

Letting millennials know they'll have the chance to move up in the ranks is also important. 

While higher pay is still important, millennials consider professional development a bigger selling point. PwC found that 44 per cent of millennials stated that if offered a competitive wage, they'd be more likely to consider an employer. But, more significant is the fact that 52 per cent of PwC respondents said they would be more drawn to an employer who offered opportunities for progression.

When recruiting, let millennials know that your company is one that gives opportunities to prove oneself and get promotions.

Employers need to start catering to millennials' wishes to work at ethical, fun companies where they feel capable of advancing. Contact one of Flexi Personnel's recruitment consultants to find out more about how to get the best of millennial talent.