| dc.description.abstract | Corporations are faced with the challenge of recruiting and retaining younger workers, such as
millennials, due to the Baby Boomer generation being retired or reaching retirement. The past
decade has seen the rapid development of technology putting human resource management
under pressure to become more productive and efficient. Consequently, corporations feel
pressured to follow this technology push and understand the generational differences of their
workforce. A discussion of the literature has shown that little research has been done on
applicants’ preference of different online recruitment channels, the rise of passive applicant
attraction and millennials’ work-related values in combination with their attitude towards web
based attraction variables. Therefore, this research aims to investigate millennials’ experiences
with and perceptions of current online recruitment practices. Qualitative research, investigating
millennials’ in-depth opinions, was carried out through six semi-structured interviews. Two
interviews were carried out with a sample of HR practitioners, while the other four interviews were
with millennial applicants who recently have or are seeking for a job online. The two sample
groups were selected through purposive and snowball sampling.
The results of this investigation show that millennials prefer commercial websites, due to the
variety of opportunities available to them on these platforms. Participants have criticised aspects
of online recruitment, such as the attraction of passive applicants. Nonetheless, overall current
online recruitment practices, with a focus on applicant attraction, have been positively perceived.
The main recommendation of this research for recruiters is to familiarise themselves with
millennials’ preferences, values and their behaviour during the recruitment process. This will allow
recruiters to efficiently and successfully attract a millennial applicant pool. | en |
