Recruiting the ‘Facebook Generation’

Julie Murphy, Administrative Assistant with the Health Sector Council, sent me the following article on recruitment strategies for Gen Xers and Yers. The article points out that recruitment strategies highlighting job benefits and salary through the use of traditional media (newspaper ads, for example) do not resonate with the 18-32 age bracket, and how the most successful recruitment campaigns are turning to new venues (social media like Facebook, blogs, and Youtube) to send a different message (social responsibility and personal values versus job security and salary) about what it means to work with a particular organization. I think a good example of this recruitment style is the recent Canadian Forces campaign – you’ve probably seen some of the grainy, edgy, documentary-style recruitment ads on TV. You can also check out individual videos on the Canadian Forces website and on Youtube (like the Fight Chaos and Fight Distress/Chaos/Fear videos). I probably wouldn’t last a day in the forces, but these videos make me want to join and make a difference in the world...for a few seconds at least.

So what does this mean for the health sector on PEI? Can it learn something from recruitment strategies that emphasise changing the world, making a difference, and personal growth over salary range and mission statements? Certainly people working in the health sector are often drawn to the field out of a desire to ‘do good’ and change lives. But this aspect of health sector careers is rarely (if ever) stated in the job postings I see on the job board.

What do you think? Would a shift in focus in health sector recruitment to a more youthful, tech-savvy demographic with an emphasis on values and ethics serve to entice more health workers to the Island? In my opinion, yes, a different recruitment approach probably would serve to generate more interest in the PEI health sector. I’m not sure what that approach would necessarily look like; imagine the Canadian Forces videos but instead focusing on medical careers, nursing and so on. But there’s another piece to that puzzle, which is ensuring that once we attract the so-called ‘Facebook generation’ to the PEI health system we keep them there. That’s the key component really. If the workplace doesn’t live up to the expectations of a new recruit, they probably won’t stick around, and ensuring that we have an exemplary workplace here on the Island goes hand-in-hand with recruitment, whatever the approach.

Wooing Facebook Generation with Meaning, Spirit

By Carly Foster
June 1, 2008

In the 70s, it was stability. The 80s: Money. The 90s: Balance. Now, some analysts say employee recruiting and retention is about communicating the meaning and purpose of work, even more so than the value of benefits and total rewards.

The path to recruiting and retaining the so-called Facebook Generation is not through fancy gimmicks and traditional advertising - it's through meaning, spirit and tech-savvy company promotion, says Tod Maffin.The broadcaster, blogger and social media strategist was the keynote speaker at EBNC's recent sold-out Canadian Benefits Summit, discussing "Recruiting the Facebook Generation: How to Win the War on Talent."

read more of the article here...