It’s official – Millennials now make up the majority of the Canadian workforce.

So what does this mean for recruiters? Well, the task of sourcing and hiring millennial talent requires a drastically different approach than past generations. The reality is that Gen Y is not from another planet. They want what anybody wants in a career: security, variety, challenging work – they are just looking for it in a different way.

According to Jobvite, 47% of millennials report using their mobile devices exclusively to search for jobs, and that number increases 4% year over year. Therefore, to design a millennial recruitment strategy that works, your best bet is to take advantage of the latest trends in mobile and online recruiting.

These three digital tactics will help you optimize your recruitment strategy for this year’s batch of students and new grads.

1) Get social

It’s a well-known fact that this generation of students and grads has grown up with social media. While you might be used to checking candidates’ online profiles to figure out who not to hire, there are a lot more creative ways for recruiters to use social media, particularly as a tool to build a millennial-focused brand.

Promote your workplace culture through your social channels. For example, use Instagram to post a picture from your latest team outing, or show off your trendy office space with short videos on Vine. Of course, different platforms work for different companies, so get to know the popular platforms to find the ones that will best showcase your brand. Show millennials that your company is an amazing place to work and you will have the top talent coming to you.

Recruiters and hiring managers can also get social by hosting an online networking event like TalentEgg’s Office Hours. These hour-long live chats are digital Q&A sessions where companies can connect with a varied group of aspiring professionals in real-time. Millennials are used to researching anything and everything they do, from restaurant reviews on Yelp to customer recommendations on Amazon. Participating in an Office Hours event is an egg-cellent way to give Gen Y candidates the insider information they’re looking for.

2) Launch a Challenge

If your recruiting process involves strictly screening out candidates without the requisite skills and experience, you might be missing out on potential talent. Not all students and grads have the opportunity to participate in co-op programs or placements, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t qualified.

Go beyond the resume with TalentEgg Challenges. This online career development platform provides participants with real-world business problems to solve. For students and grads, this means finally getting the chance to demonstrate hard-earned critical thinking and problem-solving skills. For recruiters, it means getting a unique opportunity to evaluate a young candidate based on their ability to apply knowledge and not just based on their degree. Aside from their knowledge base and experience, you can examine their thought process and get a sneak peek into how they would tackle a project. In short, it’s a much more realistic way to evaluate talent.

3) Ditch the boring job post

This generation of job seekers is constantly consuming information – and their attention spans are limited. Research shows that those looking for work spend only 49.7 seconds on a job posting before dismissing it as a poor fit. For a posting that matches their skills and interest? 76.7 seconds. For recruiters, this means every second of reading time is crucial.

When writing a job posting, stick to short and snappy bullet points to make your information as easy to digest as possible. Use an upbeat tone and lively language to get Gen Y job seekers excited about your company and the position, but be careful not to overdo it. Don’t say you’re looking for a “software ninja” when you really need a web developer – these trendy job titles only confuse potential hires. Also, consider including a challenge in the job posting itself. For example, you could hide a spelling mistake in the copy if you’re hiring for an editor. Or you could do what T-Mobile did and test aspiring customer service representatives with a mock client. With these web-based tests, you can assess an applicant’s skills before you even schedule the interview.

There’s a reason why this generation of students and grads is often referred to as “digital natives” – online media is a facet of every part of their lives. Incorporating these tech-centric strategies into your recruitment strategy will ensure that you put your company in the best possible position to find the ideal Gen Y candidate for your team.

Discussion: What tech-focused tactics do you use to recruit students and new grads?

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