October 11th, 2016 | Sterling

6 Tips for Screening Millennials: The Emerging Generation

It is time to get to know Millennials.

According to Pew Research Center, Millennials, (Ages 18-34 in 2015), have become the biggest generation in the Canadian workforce. Currently, over one third of Canadian workers are Millennials, a figure which will continue to grow over the coming years. This age group has been studied and surveyed, but yet many companies are still trying to understand the characteristics and choices of this very influential generation. Millennial job seekers are very different from the generations before. They would rather choose when and where they work, rather than being placed in 9 to 5 job – and they place workplace flexibility over how much they get paid. Millennials do not stay at jobs for a long time, with the average tenure being 2 years. This generation is tomorrow’s leaders, so it’s vital that employers who want to attract and retain this digital generation really understand how they think and act.

Background Screening For Millennial Candidates

Hiring, screening and onboarding Millennials can bring many positives as well as many challenges. It is important to have the right process in place for background screening these candidates. The Age of The Millennials: Six Tips for Screening an Emerging Generation will provide a guide to improve the screening process for this generation while minimizing legal risks for your company. Below are a few of the tips to get you started:

  1. Social Media: Millennials grew up with Facebook and are very prevalent on all types social media platforms including Snapchat, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and quickly embrace new technologies. Over 75% of Canadians between the age of 18 and 34 use Facebook (of which more than half check their account multiple times a day). Extreme caution must be used when using social media accounts as a factor in hiring. Religious affiliation, national origin, sexual orientation, marital status and health conditions are protected under Canadian human rights laws. When conducting social media searches on a candidate, a company must be certain that it does not violate anti-discrimination laws.
  2. Age Discrimination: Age discrimination can occur for any generation. Using terms such as “new grads,” “recent grads” and even “digital natives” in hiring advertisements can be considered a form of age discrimination. In order to avoid this from happening, identify words that describe the requirements of the position. Be specific in the qualifications for the position during the hiring process.
  3. Hiring Challenges: Millennials just starting out in the workforce offer many challenges for background screening as many do not have a driver’s license, have little to no credit histories, except for student debt, and have limited work experience. Therefore, companies need to be more creative in evaluating and screening credit and work history for potential employees. Companies should ensure that the information used to evaluate candidates is relevant to the job at hand.
  4. Candidate Experiences: If all of the other hiring and screening factors are hard to quantify, companies can look at the quality of the candidate’s experience. Hiring managers should be transparent and explain the steps and timeframe of the screening process to the candidates, no matter which generation they come from.

If you provide a positive candidate experience and make informed choices based on the tips provided in our article, you can be confident that your background check process is effective and compliant for Millennials as it is for candidates of all ages.

Find out more about hiring and screening the best millennial candidates with tips from our report.

This content is offered for informational purposes only. First Advantage is not a law firm, and this content does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice. Information in this may not constitute the most up-to-date legal or other information.

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