The federal and local government workforce is aging fast. Working for the government has a lot of benefits, which can often include job and income stability, varying insurance policies, and fixed working hours, to name a few. But these aren’t enough to attract the attention of the younger generations.
That’s because the young professionals view most government agencies as bureaucratic and old-fashioned. And what’s worse is that not many government workers are doing anything to break this stigma. Instead of adapting to the times and getting better talent, they are losing the best workers to the private sectors.
The younger generations want to rapidly advance their careers, so they don’t even consider working as a civil servant who’s stuck in an archaic workplace filled with bureaucracy. They would much rather work in a fast-paced environment and enjoy all the benefits that they can get from private companies.
But older workers are more expensive because they require more healthcare and are closer to retirement, which means higher pension payouts. They’re also slower to learn new skills and are less productive, especially in the digital age where everything is being transitioned into the virtual landscape.
When it comes to combating the cyber threats that your agency may face in the future, your existing workforce may not prove to be sufficient. That’s why you have to rethink your image and recruitment style to appeal to the younger, more tech-savvy workforce generations. Here’s how:
Use the Right Platforms and Pipelines
Having a degree and diploma from a traditional college institution shouldn’t be the only qualifying factor that is considered when looking at potential candidates. This is because there are plenty of young professionals who earned their degrees through online universities and learning platforms.
Some young professionals have even forgone the conventional route of seeking higher education and instead, jumped headfirst into the corporate world through internships or apprenticeships. These opportunities gave the younger generations enough experience and credibility to be hired in a full-time position, even if they don’t have a diploma under their belt.
If you are to look at nontraditional pipelines and used innovative technologies to find talent, you may be exposed to a bigger pool of potential candidates. You can even use recruitment marketing solutions to reach out to a wider target audience and ramp up your volume of job applications.
Highlight the Short- and Long-term Benefits
Government work is a great training ground for young professionals who want to become the leaders of the future. These jobs offer a lot of chances to grow and learn the ways of the world through the first-hand experience, but because of the stigma, not many young people take advantage of the opportunity.
What you can do about this is highlight all the short and long-term benefits of working in your agency. This can apply to the good that you’re going in your local community and to society as a whole. You have to let the people see that your work matters, especially because the younger generations prefer having a job that is meaningful over one that isn’t.
Don’t let your outdated management tactics or bad public relations skills hinder you from attracting the top talent from the job-seeking pool. Instead of dwelling on what you can’t change, improve upon those that you can and use that to get more applications for your agency.
Build an Image They Would Be Proud to Support
In the grand scheme of things, the younger generations are always hoping to make a positive impact on the world. They want to get behind organizations and initiatives that promote the ideals they believe in, which means it matters that they are a part of something that they could be proud of.
As part of a government agency, you can use this to your advantage by marketing your organization’s very purpose to the talent pool. But you have to make it so that you’re shedding light on the impact and changes that your agency does to serve the people; not just merely using these situations as publicity stunts.
It might also bode well for you to show how you value diversity in the workplace. The younger generations are keen on belonging to an organization that doesn’t discriminate based on individual differences, which means that they value inclusivity more than the previous generations did.
Eliminating communication and economic barriers in the workplace can certainly do your agency some good. It will show your potential hires that your organization isn’t stuck in backward management and that you’re capable of adapting to the times because you believe that progress is key to success.
Local and federal government agencies are the backbones of the country. Without these smaller units taking the bulk of the workload, the bigger governments will struggle to get by. However, if you don’t put in the work to source the best talent from the younger generations, soon, you’ll be striving to perform your job as well.
