Recruiting Gamer/Net Generation Employees

Recently, I was contacted by a company curious about whether or not they really need to be “more concerned with recruiting the so-called gamers than other generations.”

I answered “yes” and explained to them why it was important to focus in that area. Here is an excerpt from Gadgets, Games and Gizmos for Learning that explains some of my argument.

Recruitment is a critical issue when it comes to transferring knowledge from the boomers to the gamers. When organizations fail to attract gamers, there will be no one to whom the boomers can transfer their knowledge.

Recruiting gamers is not going to be easy. The traits that make gamers different than preceding generations also makes them hard to recruit into boomer controlled organizations. They want the freedom to be able to work from anywhere, they have little loyalty to any corporations, they surf the internet so they know all about your company—good and bad, they are financially savvy so they are going to request high salaries and they have high employer expectations in terms of helping them learn and grow personally and professionally. These are just some of trait that make it difficult for firms to woo gamers.

The predicted labor shortage over the next 20 years doesn’t help either. If the statistics are true and there is a worker shortage of over 10 million workers in 2010 and a shortage of up to 35 million by 2035, companies will need all the gamers they can get. While many believe that the shortage is overestimated because boomers will work longer, the numbers do not support that theory.

Studies indicate that only 19% of men 65 and older are part of today’s workforce a number that is down from down 46% in the 1950s. People aren’t working as long as they did 50 years ago .

Even if the predicted worker shortage is circumvented by increased automation, international labor forces, and new business models, the need for talented individuals will not decrease. In fact, jobs are requiring higher and higher skill levels. The need for talented, skilled individuals is accelerating especially in the areas of mathematics, science and programming. And the competition is global.

If firms want to attract the gamers, they need to cater to the needs of this generation when attempting to bring them on-board. One of the first thing gamers look for is an organization that provides constant learning opportunities. There is no expectation of life-long employment among gamers. They don’t want it and they don’t offer it either. Instead, they look to constantly keep their skills sharp by working for organizations that will give them continual opportunities for learning and growth.

What is your organizations doing to recruit the new generation…is the organization even thinking about it?

If you want to learn more, check out Gadgets, Games and Gizmos for Learning

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