While salary will always be a factor in a job offer, many candidates have begun prioritizing other areas when choosing companies to which they will eventually dedicate a portion of their life.  As millennials have worked their way into higher-level positions across a variety of industries, some of their desires have become more prevalent in the workplace.

What is their main priority when choosing a company?  As long as the pay and benefits offered are reasonable, many will choose the company whose mission they can support.

The Focus on the Company Mission

Gone are the days where a person thought it was their responsibility to function as a drone within a larger corporate system.  Millennials were raised in environments focused on encouragement, unlike previous generations that were raised with a level of fear.  While millennials got credit for simply participating, their parents were likely raised to conform without question.

The differences in upbringing have created different responses to the traditional work environment.  While the generations before the millennials work with an understanding that they trade a portion of their life for money, millennials want more to stand behind than simply a paycheck, and they are willing to leave one company to find another whose mission more aligns with their own views.

The new outlook on employment is more holistic, combining financial benefits with intrinsic ones designed to help them feel more fulfilled in their daily lives.  This has led to more millennials considering entrepreneurship in order to reach their goal of working for a purpose.

Making this Shift Work for Your Company

The change in priorities can make it challenging for companies that are used to recruiting candidates in a particular way to compete in today’s market.  With that in mind, there are adjustments that companies can make to help themselves stand out when competing for top talent.

First, it is important to clarify your company’s mission beyond the earning of profit.  By understanding what your company is aiming to accomplish through its offerings of products or services, you can target those workers who are more mission-oriented when it comes to job selection.  Determine what problem your products help solve, or how your company impacts the public in a positive way and stand behind that idea over anything else.

Next, help your employees see how their work supports that larger mission.  Connect the dots between their individual contributions and how those contributions improve the world around them in a meaningful way.

Finally, support your employees in pursuits that can support that mission.  That may mean hearing about new potential development ideas, or providing access to education and training to help them further the skills that are most relevant to the work.

Your employees want to feel that they are supporting a mission for which they are willing to fight.  By aligning your company with that idea, you can attract the kind of passionate, high-performing employees who truly believe it what your company is trying to build.

If you are interested in learning more about how to focus your company mission in a way that appeals to today’s top talent, or would like additional assistance when hiring your next employee, the professionals at CPS Recruitment^® have the knowledge and expertise to work with your company on any recruitment need.  Contact CPS Recruitment^® today.